Tips For Calming Your Baby’s Hiccups

Babies are very sensitive to hiccups and their mothers are very prone to worry about it. Heed the advice in the following article to soothe infant hiccups within minutes. 
Tips for calming your baby's hiccups

Women who give birth to a baby face countless challenges every day. One of these is calming your baby’s hiccups.

Hiccups in babies are very normal, especially in newborns. During the first 6 months of a child’s life, hiccups can be very common in your baby.

However, the repeated appearance of this is not an immediate indication of a serious medical condition.

What is the hiccup?

The hiccup is an abrupt and involuntary movement of the diaphragm.

The movement repeats at regular intervals. When a person has the hiccups, their lungs forcibly expel air and intermittently produce the characteristic sound of the hiccups.

What are the possible causes of hiccups in your baby?

Below is a list of the most common causes of hiccups in babies:

1. Underdevelopment of the gastrointestinal tract

Your child’s hiccups may be the result of an underdeveloped stomach.

This valve is responsible for communication between the esophagus and the stomach. If this valve is not fully developed, it may not close completely, resulting in hiccups.

This is common in babies during the first months of life.  However, there is no reason to worry about this.

Your child’s central nervous system and digestive system will continue to develop and become stronger. Little by little, the hiccups will become a thing of the past.

2. Bad Digestion

When a child’s stomach is full, the diaphragm is compressed.  Therefore, hiccups in babies are often a symptom of poor digestion.

What are the possible causes of hiccups in your baby

3. Cry

When your child cries for extended periods, it can also cause the hiccups. Your baby then takes in excess air at an increased rate so that he can scream.

So, don’t be surprised if your child suddenly starts hiccups after crying for a long time.  The same can happen if your child takes in food or milk too quickly or vomits again.

How can you help avoid hiccups in your baby

By following this practical advice, you can help your baby avoid hiccups:

  • Avoid rapid changes in temperature.
  • Dry your baby well  after taking a bath. This can avoid exposure to cold air.
  • Don’t wait too long between feedings.  When your baby is scared or very hungry, it can cause them to swallow too quickly and get hiccups.
  • When your child cries or gets upset while feeding, you should change his attitude. This can help calm him down. Let your child burp too.
  • Do not feed your baby while crying.  Try to calm your baby first, then let him drink again.
  • Make sure your baby latches on properly. Failure to latch on to the breast can cause hiccups in babies.
  • When feeding from the bottle, ensure that the teat size is appropriate for your baby’s age .

How can I calm my baby’s hiccups?

There are many myths and strategies that should stop hiccups in babies. Some of them are good, others are not. Read below how you can use tried and true techniques to help your baby. 

1. Massage

The hiccups can be an uncomfortable feeling for your baby. This may cause him to start crying. When this is the case, you should try to calm your little one down. Crying can cause breathing to suddenly accelerate.

A gentle massage of the back and abdominal muscles can help your baby relax and calm the hiccups.

2. Control the speed at which your baby eats

Your child may be so hungry that he eats with great desire.  If your little one is experiencing hiccups, it’s best to let him rest so he can be fed in a more relaxed way.

Another tip is to pause feeding regularly to make room and time for a burp. You should definitely allow 10 minutes after the feed to release excess gas through burping.

How can you help avoid hiccups in your baby

3. Water

When your baby is exclusively breastfed, you can gradually give him a few teaspoons of water and pat his back gently. 

When your baby is older, you can replace the water by putting a little bit of sugar under the tongue.

4. Finding the Best Posture

Holding your baby upright to burp can help prevent hiccups in babies.  At the same time, gentle movements from one side to the other will also help get rid of excess gas.

Make sure not to close your baby’s nose.  The idea behind this technique is that you force your baby to hold his breath to help with the hiccups.

However, this will not calm your baby. In fact, it will scare your baby and make him cry. Therefore, this is a strategy that will only make things worse.

In conclusion, we can say that there are some tips that are really helpful in getting rid of the hiccups.

However, there are also ways that should be avoided. Make sure you are prepared and well informed when the time is right. 

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