Why does an infant often hiccup?

Despite the fact that hiccups are a normal physiological process, many moms are wondering why an infant often hiccups, and whether it is necessary to do something about it. The most difficult for parents, perhaps, is the separation of the norm from pathology. That most babies often hiccup, most mothers know, but whether to worry about frequency and duration, they do not know everything.

Causes of natural hiccups in infants

1. Ingestion of air. When feeding or during crying babies often swallow air, which provokes the emergence of not only colic, but also hiccups. Most often, the baby begins hiccup immediately after eating or crying. To ease the condition of the child, you should take it in your arms and hold it upright until the air comes out.
2. Overfeeding. If the child eats with appetite, then, despite the widespread belief that the little woman himself knows how much food he needs, the baby can still eat much more than he needs. A large amount of food stretches the walls of the stomach, and this causes a reduction in the diaphragm and provokes hiccups. Try to feed the child not "on demand", but with an interval of 1.5-2 hours between feedings. If the baby does not drink after, but during feeding, then try giving the baby 1-2 teaspoons of water and continue to feed only after stopping the hiccough.
3. Subcooling. According to statistics, most babies suffer from overheating, than from hypothermia, but this option should not be thrown away completely. To test the fear, try the baby's nose, pens and back. If the baby still hiccups from the cold, then the first thing to do is to attach it for a few minutes to the chest or just to vilify in your arms.
4. Frightened. Some babies react negatively to various annoying factors: a large number of people, loud sounds, bright lights. In order to help the child cope with fright, it is necessary to eliminate the irritating factor for a while. A little time will pass and the crumb will cease to be so impressionable.

Causes of pathological hiccups in children

If the baby hiccups often and for a long time (more than 10 minutes) and does not stop, so that you do not, then do not postpone the visit to the doctor, because hiccough may be one of the signs of a serious illness. Fortunately, pathological hiccups are extremely rare and can occur when:

• disorders of the central nervous system;
• intrauterine hypoxia (oxygen starvation);
• inflammation of the lungs;
• liver or bowel disease;
• trauma of the spinal cord or the brain of the chest.

Following our advice, you will never again worry about why your baby often hiccups, and what you need to do with it.