Pregnancy And Baby Care Articles Baby Care

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Babies start hiccups in the womb, and sometimes the mother can actually tell that this is happening. This is not a cause for worry. Talk to your doctor about the in-utero hiccups only if they do not stop on their own.


It could mean that the umbilical cord has perhaps wrapped itself around the baby’s neck. This can be detected with a scan.

Once babies are born, they hiccup frequently. Old wives' tale attributes hiccups to a growing baby but there is no scientific proof of this. Typically, hiccups go away in few minutes, but you could try some simple routines to stop them. As the babies grow, the incidents of hiccups tend to reduce. The general consensus seems to be that parents of babies are more bothered by the hiccups than the babies themselves.

There are some things you can do to stop the hiccups. These are mostly suggestions and not necessarily a cure for hiccups:

• Giving the baby something to suck on can reduce hiccups. Feeding your baby after it starts to hiccup is supposed to help. You can breastfeed or use a bottle, but feeding is believed to release the constriction.
• Sometimes putting the baby down, belly side down is also helpful in stopping hiccups.
• A gentle back rub or massage might help too.
• Picking up the child as though you are going to burp it might stop the hiccups too. You can even make the baby sit and rock it gently.
• Gripe water is also helpful. You can purchase gripe water under different brand names.
• Sometimes a change in temperature can trigger hiccups. Swaddle your baby if you think the temperature has changed.

In some children, hiccups are also a sign of GERD or gastro esophageal reflux disease. These are babies who have underdeveloped digestive tracts.  This mostly occurs in babies who are born preterm. In such cases, when babies start hiccupping, it could mean that the babies need medical attention for GERD. Such babies and children tend to be more prone to hiccups.

You can avoid hiccups by reducing your baby’s distractions while feeding it. Avoid doing things like scaring the baby or making sudden noises while the baby is hiccupping. It’s a common old wives’ tale that giving a fright is a good idea to stop hiccups; however this does not really help.

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