"A baby with hiccups benefits". This may be true. In any case, hiccups are trivial, painless and inconsequential.
During pregnancy and from birth, babies often hiccup. We talk about this natural phenomenon and give you tips on how to relieve hiccups.
What are fetal hiccups?
The so-called fetal hiccups are easily recognizable: the baby's movements, or more precisely the jerks, are regular and rhythmic.
When baby moves, the movements are more jerky.
You will generally observe this phenomenon from the 6th month of pregnancy onwards, which will continue until the birth and which can occur several times a day.
What are baby hiccups?
Hiccups are caused by the air that the baby swallows during feeding. It is due to spasmodic contractions of the diaphragm, in response to a sudden gastric distension induced by an excess of air for example.
Extremely frequent in newborns, hiccups are probably related to an immature diaphragm. It calms down spontaneously, generally after a few weeks (often during the 2nd month).
Why do babies hiccup so much?
The fetus :
- The fetal diaphragm is being trained for its future role of regulating breathing, but as it is still immature, these trainings cause intermittent and involuntary contractions.
- The baby, who is starting to want to breathe, has swallowed amniotic fluid.
Finally, all these signs show that baby is developing and doing well! So there is no need to worry.
Baby:
On average, babies hiccup 4 to 60 times a minute. This is impressive, but also very useful because "Hiccups help release air trapped in the stomach, which allows the baby to drink more milk.
How to calm baby's hiccups?
Since hiccups are not painful and can be beneficial to your baby, there is usually no cause for alarm. The hiccups should go away on their own.
The Fetus
You can try :
- to start walking if you were stationary;
- to change position often;
- lie down and pat your belly or stroke it clockwise;
- to increase the volume of the music at once;
- to drink a cold drink.
In short, by stimulating or surprising him, you may be able to stop the hiccups.
Baby
Sometimes, however, the hiccups can continue until your baby is irritated and doesn't understand what's going on. Here are some tips to help you deal with baby's hiccups:
- Hold your baby and gently rock him or her by patting the back to help the air flow.
- Put baby back to the breast or give him water.
- After meals, hold your baby in a sitting position for at least 20 minutes to reduce the risk of developing hiccups.
- During meals, burp your baby every 2 to 3 minutes.
- Ask your pharmacist or doctor if homeopathic remedies for hiccups could be beneficial for your baby.
Hiccups are usually harmless, but if your baby hiccups very often or if an attack persists for more than 48 hours, it is advisable to consult a doctor. Hiccups are sometimes caused by an infection, a malformation of the diaphragm or a pathology.