How to stop hiccups in a newborn: 8 ways

When a baby appears in the house, mom and dad are ready to fight with a kite in order to ensure that the child is full, warm, safe and comfortable. But not always the baby’s life seems carefree - colic, constipation, regurgitation, gaziki - just not to list. One of the unpleasant childhood problems is hiccups.

Hiccups are a reflex contraction of the diaphragm. In fact, hiccups pose no danger. However, the very fact of spontaneous flinching often scares the baby - the child is worried and crying. Often, hiccups do not allow a newborn baby to eat and sleep normally, which leads to additional whims. To get rid of hiccups, you need to understand what this condition can cause.

Why does the baby hiccup

1. Swallowing air. The digestive tract of the child in the first months of life is imperfect, which explains various colic and regurgitation. When air enters the baby’s stomach with milk, the body tries to push it out. Thus, hiccups arise. If the air does not come out with an eructation, but enters the intestines, this leads to the formation of gas and colic. Therefore, hiccups are a kind of signal to help the child get rid of excess air in the stomach. Most often, the baby swallows air with improper grip of the chest. Pay attention to feeding the baby. The baby's mouth should completely cover the areola of the chest so that an absolute vacuum is formed. If the baby is artificial, the hole in the nipple may be too big. In this case, the milk pours in a large stream, the child does not have time to swallow it and often releases the nipple, capturing part of the air.
2. Hypothermia. Often, grandmothers complain that the child is cold, because he hiccups. And in this they are right. Hiccups may be evidence that the child is cold. For example, cold air enters the diaphragm and simply annoys it. If the baby lies in wet diapers, then he also necessarily begins to hiccup. Typically, the temperature in the room with a newborn baby should vary from 18 to 26 degrees. Checking if the baby is cold is easy - if the baby is freezing, his hands, legs and nose get cold. Try warming your baby or raising the temperature in the room to rid him of hiccups.
3. Fright. Often children start to hiccup, frightened of something. It can be a loud sharp sound, a flash of light, an unexpected touch. If this happens, you need to reassure the child, stay close to him, cuddle with his body and show him that there is nothing to be afraid of - mom is nearby.
4. Thirst. Sometimes a child hiccups simply because he wants to drink. This is due to the fact that the mucous membrane of the diaphragm dries up and gives a spasm. In this case, a little water or mom’s milk is enough to stop the hiccups.
5. Disease. Sometimes a hiccup lasts more than two hours, does not stop, no matter what measures you take, it occurs several times a day. In such cases, we can talk about pathological hiccups. In this case, you need to see a doctor and diagnose the true cause of the hiccups. This may be evidence of the presence of worms in the body. Sometimes hiccups manifest with problems of the spinal cord and brain. This occurs if the birth process was complicated, especially if the child was suffering from hypoxia. In this case, you need to undergo an ultrasound and consult with a neurologist. Sometimes prolonged and frequent hiccups indicate abnormalities in the digestive tract, then you need a pediatric gastroenterologist. But do not panic ahead of time - in 90% of cases, hiccups do not seem dangerous, this is just a reaction of the body to external factors.

How to get rid of hiccups

Hiccups usually go away on their own within 15-20 minutes. But why wait if you can help your child?

1. First you need to eliminate the provoking factor. Check if the baby is lying in wet diapers, whether it is cold. The kid needs to change clothes, put on things warmer.
2. If the hiccups are not from the cold, you need to try to help the child burp the air. To do this, swear the baby with a "column", that is, in an upright position. To do this, hold the baby to you and hold its head. With one hand, gently stroke and massage its back to speed up the process of "burping out".
3. Offer the child a breast - this is both calming and quenching thirst.
4. You can warm the baby’s tummy with a warm diaper. Heat the diaper with an iron and place it on the baby’s stomach. This is a great way to get rid of hiccups and colic.
5. Make a decoction of chamomile. To remove the spasm of the diaphragm, you need to drip a few drops of chamomile decoction to the child under the tongue. This will help get rid of hiccups and soothe the baby.
6. Sometimes, in order to save a child from hiccups, it is enough just to distract him. Sing him a song, talk to him. Lingering notes make the baby listen.
7. Drink the child with a spoon with clean water. Sometimes it helps to cope with hiccups.
8. Another great way to deal with lingering hiccups is a warm bath. Gather water in the bathtub, lower the baby there so that his chest and tummy are immersed in warm water. A light massage and warmth will help relieve diaphragm spasm.

These simple rules will help you stop hiccups in the newborn. However, it is not worth worrying in the current situation, the hiccups pass after 15-40 minutes. This is a common occurrence in newborns. However, in order for hiccups to appear as rarely as possible, some preventative measures must be followed.

What to do so that the child does not hiccup

First of all, dress the child according to the weather. It is very important to maintain balance, because overheating is as dangerous for a baby as hypothermia. Touch the limbs of the child - if his feet, hands, as well as his nose and cheeks are cold, they will be cold. And if the child is hot - his back and neck sweat first thing - do not allow this.

When feeding, make sure that the baby grips the nipple with the areola well. Feed your baby in a half-sitting position. Feeding a baby lying down often provokes the appearance of hiccups and regurgitation. If the baby is feeding the mixture, you may need to change the bottle's nipple to another, with a smaller hole, so that the child has time to swallow the mixture and not enough air.

Sometimes the cause of frequent hiccups may be a pacifier. The child gets used to it and cannot capture the bite when it grabs the breast. This provokes air into the stomach, which leads to hiccups. Perhaps you should abandon the dummy.

It often happens that the children of "haste" very hungry, eat very quickly, swallowing milk with air. This must not be allowed. Do not wait until the baby is very hungry, feed him every 2-3 hours or as required. If the baby is in a hurry to eat, after a minute of feeding, stop eating and hold it with a “column” so that the already received air comes out with a burp. And only after that continue feeding. This will help protect your child not only from hiccups, but also from colic.

If a child's hiccups appear due to fright, try to stabilize the situation in the family.Protect the kid from sharp sounds and light flashes, do not turn on music loudly. Sometimes older brothers and sisters play with a newborn baby and playfully scare him. What may seem like a hobby to an older child is a frightening suspense for a baby. Therefore, it is worth explaining to the older child that the baby has not yet matured to this kind of games.

Hiccups are a normal occurrence for most babies. She does not require treatment and there is no medicine for her. You just need to wait out this difficult period, when the baby's digestive tract is formed and gets stronger. And then nothing can spoil his cheerful, carefree mood.

Video: how to get rid of hiccups in a child