What is the reason why babies hiccup?

Hiccups in babies are a very common phenomenon, which is mainly caused by the incomplete development of the newborn's nervous system and the mother's inadequate care. Parents don’t need to worry too much about baby hiccups. They just need to take certain methods to stop the hiccups. Below we will introduce the causes and prevention methods of baby hiccups for your reference!

1. Why do babies hiccup?

Newborn babies often hiccup, which often makes their parents anxious, fearing that the baby has some disease. In fact, baby hiccups are not a disease, but a normal phenomenon during feeding. Parents don’t need to worry too much about it.

2. Reasons for baby hiccups

One reason is that the newborn's nervous system is not fully developed and cannot coordinate the movement of the diaphragm well, so it will hiccup when slightly stimulated.

The second reason is that the new mother does not take good care of the baby. For example, eating too quickly, too much, overheating, swallowing too much air while feeding, and the baby crying can induce paroxysmal and spasmodic contractions of the diaphragm and cause hiccups in the newborn.

Babies tend to hiccup frequently in the first few months after birth, and the hiccups will decrease significantly when they are 3 to 4 months old. Compared to older babies, most newborns don't feel uncomfortable unless the hiccups continue. Baby hiccups usually occur after feeding and last for about 10 minutes. Usually, they stop on their own after a while. Unless hiccups last for more than 10 minutes, no treatment is generally required.

3. How to reduce baby hiccups

1. Children should not eat when they are crying or depressed. They should have the correct posture when feeding and it is best not to feed while lying down.

2. After feeding, the mother should hold the baby upright against her shoulder and pat the baby's back to expel the air inhaled into the stomach during milk sucking. If necessary, feed some hot water and cover the baby's chest and abdomen with a warm quilt.

3. Distract the baby's attention and eliminate the baby's nervousness and adverse stimulation. If you play soothing music, stimulate the baby's earlobes and soles of the feet, and make him cry, the hiccups can be stopped immediately.

4. Mothers with sufficient breast milk should gently press their breasts with their hands when breastfeeding to prevent the milk from flowing too quickly; for babies who are bottle-fed, they should also avoid feeding too quickly.