Hiccups in Newborns After Feeding: Tips From Pediatricians

Causes of hiccups in a newborn after feeding. How to get rid of and what to do with hiccups in a baby. Prevention and recommendations of pediatricians.

All babies hiccup from time to time. There is nothing unusual about this, and you should not worry about hiccups. As a rule, hiccups go away on their own after a few minutes, but there are simple ways to stop a child’s hiccups faster.

What is a hiccup?

Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm to expel excess air from the esophagus. This is a natural and beneficial process that helps babies better adapt to their environment.

Hiccups in a baby: what to do about it?

Hiccups in newborns are very common. Many young mothers are very frightened when a child starts to hiccup, and do not know what to do about it. Why do hiccups occur?

There is no single answer to this question. In most cases, hiccups do not cause any particular inconvenience to the baby and do not cause any disturbances.

How do hiccups manifest?

Hiccups in an infant usually last no more than 15 minutes. This condition is not dangerous, almost always goes away on its own, without specific actions on the part of the mother.

If hiccups continue for a long time, this is an occasion to think about functional or organic disorders.

It is necessary to consult a pediatrician if the child has hiccups very often and lasts more than 20 minutes each time. Such prolonged hiccups can indicate diseases of the digestive tract, inflammation of the lungs or spinal cord injury.

Causes of hiccups in newborns

Hiccups in newborns are quite common. To understand why it occurs in a baby and whether it is worth worrying about his health, let’s remember what hiccups are.

Between the human chest and the abdominal cavity there is a special respiratory muscle – the diaphragm. When we inhale, it gently rises, when we exhale, it falls.

Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, a domed muscle in the lower chest that relaxes and contracts to help the baby breathe.

Sudden contraction of the diaphragmatic muscle when it is irritated, this happens reflexively.

At an early age, the diaphragm is very sensitive to various stimuli, since the baby’s nervous system is not yet mature. Therefore, in newborns, hiccups are quite common, this is an absolutely normal process for an infant. Over time, this, of course, passes.

The diaphragm may contract in response to irritation, and air is inhaled more intensively than usual. The air “hits” against the vocal cords, the glottis closes, and the characteristic “hic” sound is obtained. The diaphragm can be irritated when a child eats too fast or too much, or when he is agitated.

Hiccups in newborns after breastfeeding

Most often, hiccups in newborns occur after feeding. Directly below the diaphragm is the stomach, and when it is stretched, irritation of the diaphragm can occur. This is mainly due to overeating or swallowing a large amount of air while sucking on the breast or bottle.

Lying on the stomach helps to get rid of hiccups in newborns after feeding.

Hiccups in newborns after feeding can occur if the following foods are present in the mother’s diet:

soy
peanut
chocolate
citrus
chicken eggs
products containing caffeine

Therefore, mothers who have children who are breastfed are not recommended to consume the above products before feeding.

Hiccups in formula-fed newborns

If we compare breastfeeding and artificial feeding, then in artificially fed newborns hiccups are observed more often just because of the swallowing of a large amount of air during feeding. The stomach is greatly distended.

But similar problems can occur in breastfeeding babies if the newborn is not properly attached to the breast. Therefore, we ask mothers to pay attention to whether the baby often hiccups after breastfeeding, this may be an indicator of improper attachment to the breast.

Also, frequent hiccups, according to pediatricians, can occur due to bloating, with a pathology of the gastrointestinal tract or nervous system. In addition, strong emotions, such as fear or joy, as well as a sudden change in temperature, can cause hiccups in a newborn.

Babies begin to hiccup even in the mother’s tummy. If during pregnancy you periodically felt quick rhythmic tremors in the uterus, most likely your baby was hiccuping at that moment. There is no need to worry about those moments.

Main causes of hiccups in one month old babies

Entrapment of air during sucking. As a rule, it occurs due to improper attachment of the baby to the breast. Also, swallowing air is possible during feeding, when the volume of milk becomes large and the baby does not have time to suck everything out. To do this, before feeding, mothers are advised to express milk a little so that the baby does not choke on it in the process.
The child is very thirsty.
The baby was frightened by something, for example, a bright light or a loud sound.

Overfeeding – occurs due to large volumes of milk or formula, which stretch the stomach and compress the diaphragm. As a result, the baby spits up and begins to hiccup. Also, hiccups often occur when feeding is not on schedule.
Dry mouth, thirst.
Overstrain of the muscles of the diaphragm – as a rule, occurs if the child is cold. The temperature in newborns can drop sharply, which will cause an overstrain of the diaphragmatic muscles.
Helminthiases, acute respiratory infections, acid reflux – provoke irritation of the diaphragmatic muscles, require mandatory consultation with a pediatrician.
Diaphragm immaturity – hiccups occur suddenly due to irregular and voluntary contraction of the diaphragmatic muscles. As we grow older, the muscles of the abdomen and diaphragm become synchronized, hiccups occur less frequently.
Diet of a nursing mother – the diet of a mother affects the child and may be a cause of hiccups in the newborn.
Allergy to formula components or breast milk – can provoke inflammation of the esophagus, which leads to irritation of the diaphragm and causes hiccups.

If diaphragmatic spasms occur infrequently in a newborn and do not cause discomfort, do not panic.

Overeating

One of the main causes of hiccups in a newborn baby. It often happens that the child ate too much, because of which the food stretches the walls of the stomach and presses on the diaphragm, causing it to contract involuntarily.

Irritation

Hiccups can be triggered by external factors such as a loud sound or sudden movement. This can both frighten the baby and cheer him up and cause laughter, in both cases hiccups are almost inevitable.

Temperature change

Cold is also a common cause of hiccups in an infant.

Air in the intestines

Sometimes when breastfeeding, a baby accidentally swallows air, which can also cause hiccups.

How to get rid of hiccups in your newborn baby

Do not panic. No one has died from hiccups yet, this is a natural, important and necessary process for the body.

Rare and short hiccups in a newborn usually do not require any measures and go away on their own, without causing discomfort to the child. But if spasms of the diaphragm occur frequently, one after another, you can use the following recommendations of pediatricians:

Attach the baby to the breast and feed a little. This will help relax the diaphragm.
Perform a back massage. For this, the child is placed vertically, the back and lower back are stroked in a circular motion. Also, massage can be performed in the supine position. Perform massage movements slowly, without pressure.
Hold the baby in a vertical position for several minutes after feeding. This helps the excess air to escape faster. At the same time, the child may burp, which will also indicate getting rid of excess air.
Distraction. To do this, you can use any interesting, bright and not very noisy object (baby rattle). With its help, it is possible to get rid of hiccups.

All of the above actions are performed during the baby’s hiccups, as well as to prevent it (for example, holding the baby in an upright position after formula feeding or breastfeeding). Some recommendations for managing hiccups in infants can be combined.

If your baby starts hiccuping while feeding, stop, let him burp, or change your feeding position. In general, try to help him relax.

Usually hiccups go away on their own, but if your baby is still hiccuping after 5-10 minutes, keep feeding him. This usually helps.

The baby does not experience much discomfort from hiccups. However, try to calm him down: play with him a little, rock him and see if his diaper is dry.

What to do with hiccups in newborns

First you need to understand the cause of hiccups. If the newborn has swallowed a lot of air, you need to help him burp.

It is worth taking the child in your arms and holding it in an upright position for at least 15 minutes, so that the excess air leaves.

If the problem is with overeating, you also need to hold the baby after feeding with a vertical position, so the food wad will move faster.

With bloating, which is also a very common problem in newborns and can cause hiccups, since over-inflated intestinal loops press on the diaphragm, tummy massage and heat on the tummy (heated piece of textile applied to the tummy of the baby) will help first of all.

Using gripe water is not recommended by pediatricians. Gripe water belongs to the means of non-evidence-based medicine. Despite many parents finding it effective, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved gripe water.

The same can be said about the pacifier with syrup. If an objective reason for hiccups cannot be found, the mother should offer the baby a breast or some water if the baby is bottle-fed.

Make sure the baby does not swallow air while feeding;
If the baby hiccups after feeding – do not lay him on his back for 15 minutes, but hold him upright;
If the child hiccups from the cold – wrap him warmer;
Offer breast or some warm water.

How to help a newborn with hiccups?

If your baby hiccups most often during feedings, try to start feeding your baby before he gets very hungry and nervous. This usually helps prevent hiccups during feedings.

Despite the fact that hiccups are not dangerous in most cases, the mother wants to help her child by eliminating hiccups. There are several ways that you can try to apply, specifying the cause of the hiccups.

1. Since hiccups most often occur as a result of swallowing air during feeding, it is necessary to hug the baby to yourself and, holding him in an upright position, walk around the room a little with him.

This position usually quickly allows the child to get rid of the swallowed air, and the hiccups will stop.

If the child is bottle-fed, you should pay attention to the nipple and bottle. Often, when feeding through a bottle, the mixture flows very quickly, and the newborn swallows the mixture along with the air, trying not to choke.

If the baby is breastfed, the mother should pay attention to how the baby takes the breast. Try to change the position of the baby when feeding and you may forget about the hiccups.

When hiccups persist for a long time and occur frequently, you can try giving your baby a bottle of water or breastfeeding again. The liquid will help get rid of the hiccups.

2. If the child hiccups, mom should make sure that the child is not cold. First you need to feel the hands of the newborn. If they are cold to the touch, you should warm the child, cover him and pick him up.

3. Eliminate all annoying factors that may interfere with the child: loud sound, bright light. The child needs to be reassured, picked up, talked to, sung a song, and carried around the room. This will calm the baby and the hiccups will go away.

Sometimes the child is frightened of strangers and begins to hiccup. In this case, it is better to limit the circle of visiting the baby until he grows up and adapts to others.

4. Don’t overfeed your baby. Regular overfeeding entails a chronic stage of hiccups. Abundant regurgitation of the baby speaks of overeating. It is better to feed the child more often but little.

Hiccups, which often occur in children of the first year of life, quickly pass and later parents no longer remember it. The older the child becomes, the more perfect his digestive tract becomes, and hiccups will bother him less and less.

You can not try to relieve the hiccups in grandma’s ways, for example, forget about the way to scare the child. This can only provoke a new hiccup attack and adversely affect the psychological state of the child.

What to do to prevent hiccups in newborns?

As we have already noted, the main causes of hiccups in newborns after feeding are overeating and swallowing large amounts of air.

Therefore, it is important not to overfeed your baby. If the child is breastfed, then this is feeding on demand, but you need to understand that not every discomfort of your child is necessarily a desire to eat.

If the child is bottle-fed, then you must strictly observe the prescribed norm in food. Make sure the newborn is properly attached to the breast. After feeding, be sure to hold the baby in an upright position.

To prevent increased gas formation and facilitate the discharge of gases in the baby, lay it on the tummy more often and massage the tummy. Try to avoid unnecessary stress and anxiety.

The main final stage of the baby being fully feeding is belching. It is the belching which becomes an excellent prevention of hiccups and colic in a newborn.

To prevent the development of hiccups, you need to carefully monitor the nutrition of your baby, as well as the diet of the mother.

According to most pediatricians, it is overfeeding that is the main cause of diaphragmatic spasms. In order to prevent overfeeding, it is recommended to follow a few rules:

Feed your baby in small portions and for a longer time.
Correctly apply the baby to the breast (feed with a mixture from a bottle), while holding him at an angle of 35-45 degrees.
If the baby can sit up by himself, feed him in a sitting position.
Make sure of the correct grip on the breast or bottle.
Clean the bottle and pacifier regularly.
If the baby falls asleep during feeding, immediately remove the filled bottle so that he does not choke on the mixture during sleep.
Bottle feeding during sleep is prohibited. If the breast needs to be sucked to get milk, the mixture from the bottle is able to flow out on its own. Especially if the nipple is incorrectly selected, has been in use for a long time or the hole in it is disproportionately large.

What is forbidden to do with hiccups?

Many parents believe that it is possible to cope with hiccups in newborns with “adult” methods, which they often use themselves to relieve diaphragmatic spasms. This is strictly prohibited, as it can lead to a number of adverse consequences.

What NOT to do:

To scare a child – a loud clap or scream can injure the psyche of a newborn and provoke stuttering in the future. This also applies to the use of loud objects, which can also frighten the child.
Give your child sour candy.
Knocking on the baby’s back or chest – babies have a very fragile skeleton, so any rough impact can lead to serious consequences.
The calmness of the mother is the key to the success and health of the child, therefore, if hiccups occur, you should not panic, but fully assess the situation.

Hiccups are a temporary phenomenon that can disappear on its own. But if, in addition to hiccups, there are other symptoms that cause concern for the mother or child, you should immediately consult a specialist.