Ask Mike: Baby hiccups
Hey Guys,
Guess what? I just had a kid. Well, my wife did, but I was there to feed her ice chips and tell her she’s beautiful, so, of course, that makes me an expert. But there’s one thing I still don’t understand: hiccups. Why does my daughter hiccup so much? And does she mind?
An article from Parents.com explains that hiccups are totally normal, and are, in fact, a good thing for babies. “Hiccups are caused when the diaphragm, the respiratory muscle at the base of the chest, gets irritated and spasms. Since a baby’s stomach and torso are small, it doesn’t take much to fill his tummy to the brim and push it up into the diaphragm.” If you hear your baby hiccup, it means he or she is eating well.
A change in room temperature may cause hiccups, too. According to Baby Center, if the baby gets cold, hiccups may be more common.
So why don’t kids freak out during hiccup sessions? According to Baby Zone, “hiccups seem to bother parents more than they bother the baby.” Unlike 99% of the stuff that can make babies fussy, hiccups apparently don’t bother them. Go figure. The exception is if the hiccups affect the baby’s ability to feed. If that’s the case, consult a doctor.
So that’s the story with baby hiccups. Small stomach + hungry baby = big hiccups (and, eventually, a dirty diaper).
Thanks for reading,
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Congrats!
Hey Mike,
I just wanted to say:
Congrats on the new Baby!
Sorry, I have nothing to add regarding hiccups, but it seems that you have been researching the subject quite adequately.
You just signed up for a lifetime of research.
Hiccups are just annoying to us adults who get them all the time!
Did your wife ever feel the baby have the hiccups while in the womb? I did… it was the strangest feeling until I realized what was happening… then I would just laugh when it happened again.
Congratulations on your new baby!! Hiccups are normal. They seem to go away if you give them a little drink of formula etc….
Congratulations! That’s exciting. My wife and I had a baby last fall. I said the same thing to her regarding his hiccups, and she recalls him having hiccups plenty of times when he was in the womb. It’s totally natural, and you’re right, they don’t mind. My wife works at a Children’s Hospital, so she knows this stuff and I sit back and don’t argue with her.
Congratulations!
Hicups are caused by the loss of rhythm in our breathing pattern
being frightened or drinking large amount of water disrupt the rhythm that is off or out of sequence
hopefully returning it to its regular rhythm
The best way I know of the make hicups go away is to breath intentionally
Congrats!!!!
Wait…was your kid born today? That means its not having an actual birthday date for another 4 years:(
Anyways, the hiccups are normal.
Congrats to you and your wife it’s a very special time for all couples. I have not yet gotten to experience having a child but my sister and her husband had a baby boy last January 2011 he turned one this year its crazy how fast they grow so being an Uncle at the moment is the closest I will get at this moment. But try to spend each and every moment with her while she is young or you’ll regret the day she graduates school.
is she a leap year baby?
was she born on feb 29?
congrats!!!
The hiccups in infants and small children is just their bodies telling you that they are growing. If the she is getting them regularly, like after feeding or rest, it’s normal. If it’s continuous consult your doctor. No she doesn’t mind them but if it will make you more comfortable give her small amounts of water (the infant sterile bottles of water like you got in the hospital). She will be fine. Oh by the way congrats, I bet she is beautiful.
Congratulations!
Seems you are a expert.lol.really thak you for sharing.
Thanks mike
your answers are always helpful to be aware about new GK some times hiccups of a child makes worried to the parents because about hiccups they don’t know more, so your article will be helpful to them also…
Just wanted to say congratulations and very best wishes to you and your wife. Besitos (kisses) to the baby!
Congratulations on the birth of your child!! Enjoy every minute because it will fly by and soon he/she will be four and mouthing you back, like mine
Hiccups are common in newborn… well not even newborns. You remembers growing up and we had hiccups and they hurt us, so our parents say ‘your just getting bigger’… that is exactly what is happening.
They don’t hurt your child, much. I don’t really go by what is written but by what midwives, health visitors, family members and friends have told me. and my own experiences. Hiccups hurt us a bit, so they are bound to hurt a little thing like a baby. That is why they sometimes cry, to be picked up and cuddled just for that comfort.
My brother and sister in law just had a newborn and she was asking me the exact same question… worried about them hurting her daughter and what can she do… I told her the same.
do what you feel is right, between you and your missus.. they are not harming your child.
Congrats
I have a baby brother and he used to have hiccups all the time, it is normal for little babies to have hiccups since their stomachs are still developing and their reaction is to have hiccups. If it concerns you, or if you feel that he has them too often then you might want to talk to the doctor, but I think everything will be fine. (:
Congrats Ask Mike!
It’s strange that some babies get hiccups and some don’t. You would think modern science would know more about it. A baby’s tummy is very small and overfeeding can make hiccups worse. I don’t think we can say they cause hiccups. When a baby is born their tummy is only the size of a shooter marble (5-7 ml). Babies only need small amounts of colostrum. If a baby is formula fed parents or nurses may use pre-filled 4 ounce bottles. The baby can take in too much milk and stretch their tummy. The extra milk usually comes back up and parents think something like reflux is with their baby. By day 3 (when a mother’s milk is coming in) the baby’s tummy is the size of a ping pong ball (22-27 oz). It’s easy to overfeed formula fed babies and cause digestive problems. They have a strong sucking desire and will take in more than they need. I thought this might be interesting to you.
I never got hiccups as a baby, but I get them all the time now I’m sixteen… typical.
Massive congratulations on the baby- how wonderful! Enjoy the most precious present you’ll ever receive.
I loved when my twin baby brothers would fall asleep in my arms and they lie there hiccuping after a nice big bottle of milk. I saw it as content. But when you grow up and taking a nap after a movie…those hiccups drive you nuts! So I guess babies just don’t know any better. lol And yes congrats on your new miracle. May your baby have a blessed and healthy life. And most of all have fun!
Hey congrats on the new baby. When my oldest was a baby and she had the hiccups she used to laugh at herself every time she hiccuped. It was a wonderful time back then lol.
Congratulations, Mike!!!!
awww you’re soooo sweet:)
congrats, God bless.
Hiccups also happen BEFORE birth. I had the rare opportunity to hear my child hiccup before being born. I wish I had recording equipment at the time. My wife missed out on some wonderful sounds.
Babies also hiccup when they’re in the womb because they take in the amniotic fluid and whatnot. Congrats on the baby, Mike!
Congratulations on Becoming a Father!
I always burp my babies when they get hiccups. Sometimes they gulp too much air while eating. You can give them a tiny bit of water and that can help as well as rubbing their back.
Good Luck!
Hiccups happen often to newborn. It is not a problem tough. Differ from us, as adults have hiccups if there are lack of liquid inside our throat or even when we are eating something spicy & something not tender enough to be swallowed. The sensation of rejection is happening then we need to drink water to help the swallowing processing.
Babies have short throat or larynx that may caused them to have the sensation of rejection or contraction when they swallow or after food.
As for me, I will nothing with it. It will be gone soon before we know it.
But pay attention if your baby eats something you do not wish for.
When my first child was really small and got the hiccups, she minded, all right. She would get so mad! She’d be happy and smiley, and as soon as the hiccups started, she’d start screaming. In hindsight, it’s pretty funny.
Hiccups are caused by stimulation of the phrenic nerve which innervates the diaphram. The diaphram is the sheetlike muscle that separates the pleural cavity of the upper torso, from the peritoneal cavity of the abdomen. When the diaphram contracts, it pulls downward creating a vacuum of negative pressure inside the chest, pulling air into the lungs. As the diaphram relaxes it normalizes the pressure inside the chest with the outside air causing an exhale. This is ventalation, and is autonomic meanining the CNS controls breathing without you having to think about it. The vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve and the only one that exhits the skull. It travels downward through the gut. The phrenic nerve branches off of the vagus nerve. Hiccups are simply a misfire of the phrenic nerve causing a spasm of the diaphram. Babies get hiccups early on as their respiratory system is learning to regulate istelf with vapor oxyen instead of the liquid oxygen it had in utero. The stomach does not pass through the hiatus(the only opening in the diaphram for nerves and blood vessels). The esophogus passes through the hiatus, but not the stomach. If the stomach does, it is called a hiatal hernia and can cause some issues. The stomach does not really stretch much, and even when full usually wont interfere with the diaphram. So Im gonna say the article is wrong. Babies obviously are on liquid diets. Liquids do not stay in the stomach for very long before passing into the duodenum(first segment of the small intestine). Most likely, baby hiccups are caused by rapid swallowing during feeding, as swallowing requires branches of the same nerves. And also rapid consumption of liquids, and air. Its a rather old wives tale that hiccups mean a baby is full. Technically since the baby most likely ate before the hiccups began, it rings true, but for a different reason.
Side Note: Hiccups can usually be cured by stimulating the vagus nerve. Many people have died on the toilet because of vasovagal stimulation, including Elvis. Stimulating the vagus nerve causes a rapid drop in blood pressure and this drop can result in syncope(fainting). Cough syncope is caused this way. Bearing down like your trying to push out a bowel movement, while holding your breath, stimulates the vagus nerve. This stimultion usually relieves hiccups(not in babies, duh!) as it “resets” the vagus nerve, and allows the diaphram to stop spasming. Sugar on the tongue is said to stimulaate the vagus nerve, but it doesnt as the tounge is controlled by the hypoglossal nerve(9th cranial nerve), and recieves info from the glossopharyngeal nerve(12th cranial nerve).
And congrats on the new baby!
FYI: 1) Hiccups are in no way related to moisture level in the throat. 2) Modern science does know about it, I just told you. Its not a big deal.3) the larnyx is for passing air, not food, there is no swallowing reflex in the larnyx. 4) They are not hurting your baby, she doent care 5) The moisture level in the throat has NOTHING to do with hiccups 6) gag/vomiting reflex and hiccups have nothing to do with each other and are completely separate body systems. 7) hiccups have nothing to do with growing.
to the girl a few people up: how do you know you never had hiccups as a baby? I guarantee you did.
Babies swallow a lot of air, especially when crying, yelling, fussing, eating too quickly or just even yawning. It takes a while for the infants, toddlers system to adjust, usually a toddler, I gave a few licks of a lolly-pop, infants, put a little natural honey on their Binky, or just pick them up and gently rub their back. We all get them anyway. Nothing to worry about, I remember when they, were inside me, the whole abdomen, would reflect their hiccups, “Funny” too, but it is part-of life…”air gets trapped or down the wrong pipes sometimes” ..so just laugh, & distract the child. Goes away shortly..but is “so cute”!
Hey! That’s great that you just had a kid! When my little brother was born, he hiccupped a lot, too. It went away after a couple of days, and he was fine.
Love
Congrats! All babies get hiccups, some more than others, and it doesn’t seem to bother them as babies. My oldest son used to get them when I was pregnant with him. When he was born he still got them. We knew we had taken the right baby home from the hospital!
you have the mechanics on how the hiccups work but it helps to know why. The spasms happen because the body is trying to expel air in the stomach. The air gets trapped in the high part of the stomach which is higher than the opening. Baby is swallowing air, probably at feeding time. Babies usually will keep sucking on the bottle when it is empty. The best remedy is to try to watch for that and a good belch will usually force the air out. Since you are a new parent, I’m not sure if the nurses stressed the importance of burping the baby after feedings- that is to hold the baby high on your chest with it’s head on your shoulder and pat and rub the baby’s back gently. You will want to use a cloth on your shoulder as there is usually a little spit up with the burp. A little hiccups would not be a prblem but if it happens a lot for long periods of time it can put unnecessary stress on the baby. Too much hiccups for long periods can really kick up a lot of stomach acid and give the little one heartburn. soooooo burping is best. oh and this works for adults too.
Mike Tell your wife to give water to drink for your baby she is not getting enough quantity of water & hiccups mostly occurs when the quantity of water gets low
Hey there,
Congrats to you and your wife on the birth of your child.
I wish you many happy years to come, and luck on the many sleepless years to come. lol. Coming from a mother of twins and two other children, it seems non-existant anymore. lol.
I figure your child wasn’t born on the 29th as that’s the day you posted the information, maybe the 28th.. but also wanted to put my opinion in concerning the hiccups.
I’ve got a little boy who hiccups all the time, and has since he was born. I don’t recall feeling it when I was pregnant with him, but when he first started doing so, so much .. I was larmed also. We were told it’s normal and to let it go. Babies seem to have their little mouths open a lot so they let in a lot of air. They are also in a hurry a lot.. they are in a hurry to let ya know they need a change of diaper, they are in a hurry to eat their food, they are in a hurry to say they want their mother, or father .. and they SCREAM, lol. They are little now, the air has got to escape somehow.
Again, congrats on your new daughter! Whats her name?!
I might be that she is breathing too little. If she breathes deeper they go away.
congrats on your new baby…when i had my baby i was told to take a square of a brown paper bag and dip it in water in then stick it in the middle of his/her forhead and it worked.TRY IT…it might work for you too
congrats dude for your new baby
hiccups will go if u give water ,gently rub their backs etc
their is nothing to worry
Congrats on the new addition!
Hey mike
congrats on the baby!
My mom said when i was a baby i had hiccup also
i think they will go away. don’t be worried. maybe just take her for a check up
Hope she turned out find and i bet she really is beautiful
Hiccups are totally normal. I have 4 young’ns and they grow out of them. The older they get, the less they get hiccups lol you can make it a fun game for YOU though. Watch the baby when he/she hiccups, sometimes you can see them get surprised like “What was that?” or something lol Congratulations
hiccups are normal in a baby and CONGRATULATION MR LONG LEGGED MAG DADDY
Congrats Mike! my baby is 5 months now. I had the same questions. I signed up to http://www.babycenter.com it really helps to answer all your questions. And it tracks your baby’s development.
congrats on your new baby
i think it is normal dont worry about it
Hey, Mike how are you?
I just wanted to say that you writte really good articles, They are so good that I find them easy to recall whenever needed. However, can you please cite where you get your sources from and make your articles a little longer. I would appreciate it
Thank you for your time.
Chris Bautista