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Baby’s hiccups, already in mom’s womb
Hiccups are very common in children, especially in infants where they can be impressive. They can last half an hour or even an hour. Fortunately, they are not painful for the baby and they do not bother him at all since he got used to it from his first months of intrauterine life. And yes, it is a sensation that your child was already feeling in your tummy! Indeed, from the twentieth week of pregnancy, the fetus has hiccups. So you don’t have to worry.
These crises are becoming increasingly rare over the months. However, we give you the trick of Italian “mammas” to relieve Baby: a small drop of lemon squeezed on the tongue of the boy! The recipe is, it seems, 100% effective.
Causes of baby’s hiccups
Hiccups are caused by a sudden, involuntary spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm. It occurs when the stomach, filled with air or fluid, expands. This causes stretching of the nerve controlling the diaphragm and causes a kind of “disruption” of this muscle. The diaphragm then contracts in an uncontrolled and repetitive manner, causing the vocal cords to vibrate. The characteristic throaty sound of hiccups is caused by the sudden closing of the glottis following each spasm.
How to calm baby’s hiccups
Not painful for the child, the hiccups disappear on their own. So you have to be patient. However, if it is prolonged, this phenomenon can annoy your baby. Hiccups sometimes appear when your child is over-stimulated. To calm him down, take him in your arms, walk him around, patting his back, rocking him… You can optionally give him pure water, sugar water or milk to suckle. There are also homeopathic remedies for hiccups, including for infants… Check with your pediatrician. Hiccups can also appear after eating. So do not hesitate to take your baby on your lap for about 20 minutes after feeding him. To avoid hiccups, you can also sequence meals more, give him smaller amounts of food., but more often. If you bottle-feed her, burp her every two or three minutes.
Hiccups and regurgitation
Your baby may have hiccups after a meal or after regurgitating. In the majority of cases, it is reflux, quite common in toddlers. And for good reason, at this stage of development, thea muscle valve at the end of the esophagus, which helps keep food in the stomach, is not yet mature. Once a stomach is full, food and acidic content can flow back up. Even though reflux and hiccups are common phenomena in babies, don’t hesitate to talk to your pediatrician if they get too severe.