• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

What Causes Baby Hiccups?

March 8, 2020 by Sherie Silvera Leave a Comment

Babies, like adults, get the hiccups. In fact, babies hiccup before they are even born. What causes baby hiccups? The causes of hiccups in infants and babies vary. While it may be frustrating to watch your baby go through a bout of hiccups — especially when she is trying to sleep — most of the causes are not serious. Some, however, can be uncomfortable or even life-threatening for your baby.

What Causes Baby Hiccups?

Strengthening Exercises
Babies start to hiccup while still in the womb. The reason for this is not established, but hiccups in utero may be the developing fetus’s way of strengthening his diaphragm muscles to prepare for breathing. Most expectant mothers feel their baby start to hiccup sometime in the second trimester.

Gastroesophageal Reflux
Gastroesophageal Reflux, or GER, can cause hiccups in babies caused by an underdeveloped lower esophageal sphincter, or LES. This ring of muscle located at the bottom of the esophagus closes and opens to allow food into the stomach and prevent it from leaving the stomach. In young infants (especially premature babies), the LES may not be fully developed and does not close properly, allowing food to move back up from the stomach into the esophagus. This is uncomfortable for the baby and may cause fussing and hiccups. Most babies eventually grow out of this problem, however.

Swallowed Air
Hiccups can occur after a baby has a bout of crying, or after she eats. This is usually due to the baby swallowing air. Burping your baby often will help, as will calming down an excited or overwrought baby. Breastfeeding can also reduce the instances of hiccups, as babies who breastfeed tend to swallow less air than those who use a bottle.

Curing the Hiccups

You can’t tell a baby to hold her breath when she has the hiccups, and this doesn’t always work to cure the hiccups anyway. Instead, gently pat her on the back until her hiccups subside. If your baby feeds from a bottle, check to make sure the flow of formula is not too fast. Formula should drip slowly from the hole in the nipple, not stream out. If the formula is flowing freely, switch to a nipple with a smaller hole.

When to Worry
Frequent and prolonged periods of hiccups in the womb can be a sign of umbilical cord compression, according to the Pregnancy Institute. If your baby has bouts of hiccups that last for longer than 10 minutes, several times a day, have an ultrasound performed to determine the position of the umbilical cord.

What Causes Baby Hiccups?

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Baby, New Home Page, Parenting

About Sherie Silvera

Sherie Silvera has been a T.V producer, bouncer, music teacher, and screenwriter. She has climbed Mt Whitney, survived a plane crash, and lived on a pig farm in Arkansas. Sharie and her husband share their home in Southern California with two extraordinary boys and a lifetime collection of books.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

Coconut Oil

Why Coconut Oil Is So Good For Pregnant & Nursing Mothers

“Coconut oil contains large amounts of lauric acid, a … [Read More...] about Why Coconut Oil Is So Good For Pregnant & Nursing Mothers

Must Have

winter

Pre-Holiday Must-Haves

"It's beginning to look  a lot like Christmas..." The … [Read More...] about Pre-Holiday Must-Haves

Did you know?

Emotional Development of Adolescents

What Happens When You Mix Lemon Juice With Baking Soda?

What Happens When You Mix Lemon Juice With Baking Soda?

Coconut Oil

Why Coconut Oil Is So Good For Pregnant & Nursing Mothers

How Soon After a C-Section Can I Get Pregnant Again?

safe to color Your hair while breastfeeding

Is it Safe to Color Your Hair While Breastfeeding?

stop a new piercing from itching

How to Stop a New Piercing From Itching

When to Take a Toddler to the Emergency Room With a Fever

When to Take a Toddler to the Emergency Room With a Fever

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2021 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.