To understand why a baby hiccups, you need to understand what hiccups are. Between the chest and abdominal cavity in the human body there is a dividing muscle - the diaphragm, which is very mobile and sensitive in infants. When any irritant begins to act on the child's diaphragm, it begins to convulsively contract, due to which the vocal muscles involuntarily close and sounds characteristic of hiccups appear.
In most cases, hiccups after feeding appear for a while and very soon disappear on their own. From the point of view of physiology, such a phenomenon is quite normal for a child's body, and you should not worry about this.
But there are factors due to which the baby almost always hiccups after eating:
- The most common of these is the ingress of air into the digestive tract. The resulting portion of air during sucking fills the child's stomach with oxygen, which begins to put pressure on the diaphragm and cause it to contract. This kind of hiccups is harmless to the baby.
- A little less often, a child hiccups after overeating. Constant worries of mothers about whether the baby received enough milk during feeding, as a rule, have the exact opposite effect, the child eats more than he needs. Because of this, the walls of the stomach are stretched, which begins to put pressure on the diaphragm and provoke hiccups. To save the baby from this type of hiccups, it is enough to reduce the portion size. But if it is very easy to do this with artificial feeding, then with breastfeeding, in order to prevent overeating, some factors must be taken into account. Why is it best to feed a baby on every demand, and not on a schedule? The fact is that enough time can pass between meals by the hour so that the baby has time to get really hungry. A small children's stomach cannot accommodate a large amount of milk, which the baby will begin to swallow with greed as soon as he is allowed access to the breast. The result is overeating, stomach distension and hiccups.
- Hiccups in infants after feeding may appear due to the accumulation of gas. In newborns in the first three months of life, the gastrointestinal tract system is very poorly developed. What can cause bloating, intestinal colic and hiccups after feeding.
Other causes of hiccups
Not always the child hiccups due to feeding with milk, even if the diaphragm began to contract immediately after eating. This may just be a coincidence, but in fact, one of the following triggered the hiccups:
- An overabundance of emotions. A child's nervous system is not stable, which is why it's easy for babies to get aroused in a matter of seconds, for example, because of a fear of a stranger, a change of scenery, or every sharp, unexpected sound. Anxiety leads first to a spasm of the diaphragm, and then to its convulsive contractions.
- Hypothermia. Babies, due to an underdeveloped thermoregulation system in their body, are not able to maintain their body temperature, which is why they constantly freeze. To understand whether a child is overcooled or not, it is enough to touch his hands: cold - the baby is cold, warm - everything is in order.
Before you start getting rid of hiccups, you should figure out why it arose, but there are universal preventive measures that prevent convulsive contraction of the diaphragm.
- Babies need to be fed at their first request in small portions.
- If there is a lot of flushing, express some liquid foremilk before feeding.
- Control your baby's latch on technique. It should completely capture the halo. When formula feeding, hold the bottle so that the nipple is completely filled with formula.
- Before feeding, try to calm the baby as much as possible.
- Try to prevent hypothermia of the baby, if it does happen, warm it up.
- If you are breastfeeding, try to follow a special diet that should not include foods that cause gas.
How to rid your baby of hiccups
If the child is already hiccuping, take him in your arms, firmly attach him with his tummy to you. He will feel your warmth and care, calm down, and you will notice how very soon his colic will pass, excess air will come out, and the hiccups will stop.
Young mothers, closely monitoring the condition of a recently born baby, are often nervous when, immediately after feeding, the baby begins to hiccup. Do not panic: hiccups are a natural process that does not cause any harm to the baby. But still, it brings severe discomfort, and if hiccups occur in newborns after feeding, what should relatives do to protect the baby from discomfort?
The child begins to hiccup even in the womb of his mother - this is how his body reacts to external or internal stimuli. The process of hiccups is due to the rapid contractions of the diaphragm - the muscle that divides the human torso into thoracic and abdominal sections. Spasms can occur for the following reasons:
- Binge eating. Moms who feed their babies on schedule run the risk of getting hiccups, as a hungry newborn baby, after a break in feeding, will begin to eagerly suck milk. The fast pace of eating will inevitably lead to air trapping and overeating. Because of feeding “excitedly”, the baby will lose his breath, and as a result, hiccups will attack.
- Immaturity of digestion, which causes the child to hiccup after each feeding. It is easy to identify by its characteristic symptoms: gas, colic and loose stools.
- Incorrect attachment of the baby or incorrect feeding of the artificial. Because of this, he will swallow air, hiccup and suffer from colic.
- Freezing is one of the reasons why a newborn hiccups. The child's body reacts to sudden changes in temperature in the most accessible way - hiccups.
- Too many external influences - hiccups are a response to stress.
These factors provoke a situation where the newborn hiccups after feeding. But the process of hiccups can mean more serious problems:
- pneumonia;
- pathology of the spinal cord;
- disease of the digestive system;
- the presence of worms;
- development of an aneurysm in the diaphragm.
But such diseases manifest themselves as obsessive hiccups, which constantly worries the baby, does not allow him to sleep, eat and even breathe normally. If this type of hiccup is noted, it is important to go to a pediatrician for diagnosis.
But often the answer to why a baby hiccups after feeding is much simpler: malnutrition, stress, fear, or an uncomfortable environment.
“Moms and dads worry about hiccups more than a newborn. In trying to recognize various pathologies, they may forget that the child may just be thirsty!” - Shkolyar I.S., local pediatrician.
Of course, precautions never hurt. If someone from the environment has recently visited exotic lands or feels unwell, then for some time it is better for him not to communicate with children.
How to prevent hiccups while feeding
If the newborn hiccups after each feeding, you need to pay attention to the feeding process itself. To begin with, follow the correct attachment of the baby to the chest. It is better to hold it vertically and control it so that it covers not only the nipple, but also the halo with its lips.
It is possible to detect when the baby is gasping for air in the process of breastfeeding by sounds. In the correct position, the mother will hear only swallowing without sobs. Breastfeed your baby on demand, not by the hour.
Also, do not forget about the two types of breast milk. Foremilk is thinner, less nutritious and comes out at a faster rate. By the time the baby gets to the back, thick and nutritious, he will have already overeaten the first. Crowded stomach walls stretch and put pressure on the diaphragm, which leads to spasms.
To prevent this situation with heavy lactation, part of the milk must be expressed before breastfeeding. If the baby still hiccups after feeding, you should organize a calm environment for him while eating. It is also advisable for a nursing mother to remove the products from which the baby has gas and hiccups.
When feeding from a bottle, you need a “correct” nipple with a small hole so that the milk formula barely drips - the baby must suck it out with effort. It is advisable to feed the baby more often, but in small portions, avoiding glut.
If, nevertheless, the baby has hiccups, you need to help him - massage the tummy with light circular movements clockwise. Massage will quickly help the stomach digest food and eliminate unpleasant consequences.
When hiccups are accompanied by bloating, it is necessary to take the newborn in a “column” and so vilify a little until the air stuck in the stomach comes out.
Hiccups are also a sign of the action of external stimuli - noise, bright light. If possible, remove unpleasant factors, hold the baby in your arms, calm down. He should eat only in a calm state. If the baby begins to worry and cry while eating, you should put it on your shoulder and wait until the air comes out of the tummy.
Hiccup treatment
There are hundreds of different tips on what to do if a newborn hiccups after feedings. These are medicines and traditional medicine, proven by generations of mothers and grandmothers.
Of the pharmaceutical preparations that prevent colic, gas accumulation and hiccups, the most famous are Simplex, Bobotik and Espumizan. But medicines should be given to the baby only after consultation with the pediatrician, so as not to accidentally "overtreat" the baby, not to damage his immunity and microflora in the intestines. Timely therapy will help to avoid many problems, and hiccups after feeding will pass.
Folk methods, how to save a child from hiccups, come down to herbal decoctions.
| Name | Cooking method | Infusion time | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dill water | Pour a teaspoon of dill seeds in a glass of boiling water | 1-1.5 hours | Drink three times a day for a teaspoon |
| Oil with oregano | Grind the herb, mix with 0.5 l of olive or sunflower oil | Night | Lubricate the upper wall of the throat with hiccups or give three times a day, 2 drops inside |
| Laurel decoction | 2 tablespoons of bay leaf pour a glass of boiling water | 1 hour | Drink a teaspoon every 5 minutes until the hiccups are gone |
| Decoction of hiccup gray | 1 tablespoon of flowers and herbaceous part pour a glass of boiling water | 1,5 hour | Give your child 1 tablespoon every 2 hours |
| Valerian decoction | 1 tablespoon of valerian root and motherwort leaf pour a glass of boiling water | 1 hour | Drink warm broth half a glass a day so that the child does not hiccup |
It is wiser to ask the doctor if it is possible to give decoctions and medicines to the child, and also to find the reason why the newborn often hiccups after feeding.
When parents act to harm
Sometimes adults who do not know why the child hiccups after feeding and without specifying the causes of hiccups try to deal with it in "adult" ways. But these actions can cause the opposite reaction in the baby:
- an attempt to scare will only lead to increased hiccups and bring the baby to a scream;
- tossing - the loss of a sense of security and safety will contribute to even more hiccups;
- patting on the back - the baby is still very fragile, so this method will not only not help, but will also hurt him, which will make the hiccups worse;
- Trying to warm up by dressing the child in a lot of clothes will make the situation worse. The baby hiccups not only from hypothermia, but also from overheating, which should not be allowed;
- distracting a child with a walk to the mall, for example. Noise will provoke the child's anxiety, and the temperature difference will cause him discomfort.
Do not forget that all children hiccup, regardless of age. If the child does not tear himself from hiccups, it does not disturb him and passes quickly, then there is no need to worry in vain. But when the hiccups in a newborn last two days or more, then a visit to the pediatrician is mandatory.
If a young mother monitors her diet, feeds the baby properly and does not disturb him, then hiccups will recede and will appear less and less with age. After all, the main reason why a child often hiccups is the indiscipline of the parents, excessive attention to the little man and baseless panic, which frightens the child even more.
Some doctors believe the cause is a poorly established connection between the brain and the diaphragm.. There is also an opinion that hiccups come from overeating, when a full stomach presses on the diaphragm, causing it to convulsively contract. Also, the cause of hiccups in children after feeding may be the swallowing of air. This can cause not only hiccups, but also regurgitation after feeding, and then bloating.
What to do if the newborn hiccups after feeding? Here are some options for solving this problem for parents:
1. If the baby hiccups from overeating, then of course, try not to overfeed him.. Signs of overfeeding a child may be too abundant regurgitation (especially), in an infant, overfeeding can be determined by the presence of undigested curdled milk residues in the feces. You can try to feed more often, but in smaller portions. In order not to overfill the baby's stomach.
2. If the baby swallows air while feeding, then after eating, carry it vertically with a column, pressing it against your tummy. This will help move the air bubbles. The baby will burp and stop hiccuping. If the baby is artificial, then maybe you should change the bottle or pacifier on it. Now there are many options for special anti-colic bottles that prevent air from entering when feeding a baby. If the baby swallows air while breastfeeding, adjust the feeding position, it may be worth feeding by holding the crumbs at an angle, or pressing him closer to the chest. Also make sure that he correctly captures the breast (not only the nipple, but also the areola - the areola).
3. It happens that the baby chokes on abundantly flowing milk from the mother's breast or bottle, which causes hiccups. Change the nipple in the bottle to one that has one small hole through which the milk will slowly flow and the baby will need to make an effort to suck it out. If the baby is choking on milk from his mother's breast, then feed intermittently so that he has time to swallow a portion before getting a new one.
4. The old proven way to stop a baby's hiccups is to give him water.(if he doesn’t drink from a bottle, then give it from a spoon), or put it on his chest for a while, so that the baby took a couple of sips. If this does not help, then you can rock the child, falling asleep, he will stop hiccuping.
As you can see, hiccups are normal for a newborn baby, the older he gets, the less often he will have hiccups. If the above methods do not help you, then just wait until the hiccups pass by themselves, believe me, it does not cause such anxiety in the child as in mothers and grandmothers. Just do not listen to "experienced advisers" and scare the baby, except for the shaken nervous system, you will not achieve anything with this. It’s better to try to “talk” hiccups, this will at least distract you from bad thoughts, for example: “Hiccups, hiccups, go to Fedot, from Fedot to Yakov, from Yakov to anything.”
New parents are regularly haunted by fears for the health of their newborn baby. Responsible mothers carefully monitor the baby's stool, his body temperature. Hiccups after feeding are often a concern for inexperienced parents. Their desire to know the cause of the process and the consequences is fully justified.
The causes of a baby's hiccups after eating are often similar to those in an adult. A newborn may hiccup after feeding due to factors:
- While eating, the baby captures excess air. It fills the tiny stomach and stretches the organ, pressure on the diaphragm occurs, breathing is disturbed - a reflex contraction of the diaphragm occurs.
- Large portions of breast milk, mixtures stretch the baby's stomach, which provokes the process in the child.
- Muscle strain.
- Thirst and dry mouth.
- ARI, helminthiases and diseases that can irritate the diaphragm.
- Immaturity of internal organs.
Often a monthly baby suffers, with a diaphragm that has not adapted to the external environment. Nasal congestion does not allow to suck the breast correctly, air is swallowed. Vasoconstrictor drops prescribed by a doctor will help to avoid violations.
Air
With the frequent occurrence of reflex contraction of the diaphragm after breastfeeding, it is necessary to take a closer look at how the child eats food. If the nipple is not completely captured by the mouth, and the breast does not fit snugly against the mouth, it is likely that the baby is catching air when swallowing. Air bubbles, along with food, enter the baby's stomach.
In a formula-fed baby, air can enter due to the large hole in the nipple.
Binge eating
More often, overeating is the cause of the phenomenon in breastfed infants. The baby consumes a large amount of milk. Food expands the stomach. The digestive organ puts pressure on the diaphragm. The baby burps and hiccups. The reflex does not occur once, but after each feeding, if the volume of milk exceeds the norm.
For artificial people, the process and amount of nutrition can be controlled. By observing the norm laid down for the newborn, the mother will prevent the phenomenon.
Factors that provoke overfeeding:
- Eating on a schedule. The baby wants to eat before feeding time. At the next dose, the baby will eagerly swallow the mixture or milk, quickly filling the stomach.
- A large volume of breast milk in the mother. The abundance of foremilk, which often comes out with strong pressure, helps to saturate the newborn before the baby gets to the healthy full-fat milk.
Gases in the intestines
Gases in the intestines of a newborn cause colic and abdominal pain, belching. The reason for the appearance of gas in the intestines, if breastfeeding is breastfeeding, is the mother’s malnutrition. If the baby eats a mixture, it is recommended to replace the mixture in consultation with a pediatrician.
First aid
Hiccups are not a disease and not a sign of pathology. This is a temporary phenomenon that occurs in newborns and stops after a few minutes without parental intervention. If the contraction of the diaphragm is uncomfortable, scares the newborn, or prevents the baby from falling asleep, action can be taken.
Reflex contraction of the diaphragm after eating does not pose a threat to the health of children and rarely indicates pathology, but sometimes causes discomfort in newborns and their parents. When a symptom occurs, young parents rarely know what to do. If the baby began to hiccup after feeding, it is recommended to take the baby in your arms, giving the body a vertical position. The column position will allow the baby to burp excess food and air.
A light massage around the collarbone will help remove the reflex. If the symptom persists, it is recommended to give warm fennel tea or boiled water.
Severe hiccups can occur in a formula-fed baby - it is necessary to make sure that the mixture is suitable. Bloating, flatulence and colic will help eliminate special preparations for newborns. Espumizan, Sub-simplex - drugs allowed from the first days of life.
The phenomenon does not require treatment, if what is happening scares the newborn, causes discomfort or interferes with sleep, measures can be taken:
- Give a warm liquid, apply to the chest.
- Place a warm towel on the baby's belly.
- The parent can hold the baby upright until burping occurs.
Light massage of the tummy helps to eliminate gases. Circular stroking clockwise will help to subside spasms. Dill seed tea, chamomile tea eliminate gas formation. If methods fail, a neonatal gas tube may be needed.
When to See a Doctor
If the diaphragm contraction occurs constantly after eating and lasts more than an hour, the baby is crying and restless, you should consult a doctor for advice. Only a doctor can determine the cause of the reflex. Serious diseases rarely provoke a symptom in an infant, but they should not be completely ruled out. Liver pathologies, lung diseases, dysfunction of the spinal cord and brain - can cause diaphragm contraction after eating and at any time.
The pediatrician, after listening to the parents, will send the child for an ultrasound examination of the internal organs. Ultrasound will help identify pathologies of the baby's gastrointestinal tract.
In case of improper functioning of the brain or spinal cord, a consultation with a neurologist will be required.
The famous doctor Komarovsky believes that hiccups in babies are normal, and medical attention is necessary if it lasts more than three hours, and abdominal pains are present along the way. The pediatrician is convinced that hypothermia is rarely the cause of hiccups, rather, adaptation to the ambient temperature occurs.
As methods of dealing with the phenomenon, the pediatrician recommends giving the newborn water to drink, normalizing the level of humidity in the room, or going for a walk with the baby.
Prevention
It is not difficult to prevent hiccups after each meal by knowing the cause of the phenomenon. Overeating, as the cause of the reflex, is easily eliminated by reducing the portion of the mixture or reducing the attachment to the baby's breast in time.
Before eating, it is recommended to put the baby on the stomach. It is important to correct the position of the crumbs during meals so that air does not enter with breast milk. You may need to hold the baby at an angle or hold him closer to the chest. The baby needs to grip the areola around the nipple in order to suck effectively.
During feeding, it is important to be quiet so that the newborn is not distracted. Light, noise can frighten the child, distract from eating and provoke the swallowing of air.
With a large amount of foremilk from the mother, it is necessary to express a part so that the baby consumes the hind milk in the right amount. It is better to feed the baby on demand, but reduce the portion.
Mom should adjust her diet by removing foods that cause gas formation from the diet. Fried foods, legumes, raw fruits and vegetables are not recommended.
For bottle fed babies, the nipple may be the cause. There is a wide range of anti-colic bottles and valved nipples on the market to keep the baby out of air and restrict formula flow. After the mixture, the baby may hiccup if the mother significantly exceeds the required amount of food. It is contraindicated to give more food than it is necessary for the age of the child.
All newborn children, and especially babies who are less than a month old, hiccup. Often reflex contraction of the diaphragm begins after eating. With age, the violation is less likely to occur if parents follow the rules for feeding the baby, avoiding overeating. Frequent and prolonged hiccups may indicate a pathology. In this case, you need to consult a doctor to determine the cause and eliminate it in time.
Reading 6 min.
Mothers of newborns are worried about hiccups that occur in crumbs. After feeding, the baby hiccups for three minutes, sometimes it lasts a quarter of an hour. Hiccups are not a deviation, this is a natural phenomenon that occurs with infants and babies who are bottle-fed. The article will help to understand the causes of its occurrence and decide whether it should be treated. Parents need to know about the occurrence of hiccups, how to stop it and help the baby.
Hiccups often occur after feeding
How hiccups occur
In order to understand why hiccups occur in newborns after feeding, you need to know the elements of the internal structure of the body. The diaphragm is a muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. The hiccups of the baby are contractions of the diaphragm that occur involuntarily. In babies, the diaphragm is so sensitive that even small irritating factors lead to its mobility. The person involuntarily makes brief respiratory movements. After closing the vocal cords, a specific sound appears.
Hiccups, in essence, are a reflex designed to remove air from the stomach, which the baby swallowed with food, or due to excessive gas production.
Reasons why a baby hiccups
Moms ask how harmless it is. It is widely believed that children hiccup only from hypothermia. At the same time, parents try to dress the child warmer. But there are several reasons for hiccupping babies:
- overeating, food is too fatty;
- baby is cold
- intestinal colic due to gases;
- the baby is thirsty;
- stress;
- deviations in the development of the nervous system;
- pathology of the digestive system.
Pathologies of the nervous and digestive systems can only be determined by a pediatrician after examining a child. Factors such as overeating, hypothermia, stress and the needs of the baby, parents can determine for themselves to help him.
What does Komarovsky say? When hypothermia, the baby's muscles come into increased tone, there is tension in the abdominal muscles. The stomach puts pressure on the diaphragm and hiccups occur. According to the doctor, the child is not cold, he does not freeze.?
Hiccups mean that the body of the crumbs adapts to fluctuations in temperature in the room.
A more common cause of hiccups in newborns is air in the stomach or intestinal gases. They move the stomach up, put pressure on the diaphragm and hiccups appear.
What causes hiccups in babies
Caring parents note that the newborn begins to hiccup already in the process of feeding or immediately after it. The stomach is filled with milk or milk mixture, stretches and puts pressure on the diaphragm, then the baby hiccups. In the same way, the intestines act on the diaphragm if gases have accumulated there. A swollen tummy of the baby will show the cause of the hiccups. Children who are on artificial nutrition often hiccup, since mixtures are more difficult to digest than natural breast milk.
Why hiccups occur Watch carefully as the baby attaches to the breast. He must take with his mouth not only the nipple, but also the areola. Then he will not swallow air with milk. The baby may hiccup from overeating. The stomach overflowing with milk presses on the diaphragm, and it contracts. Prolonged breastfeeding, 30 minutes or more, also causes hiccups. Fifteen minutes is enough to saturate a newborn. Prolonged feeding can lead to disturbances in the digestive system. Gas in the intestines presses on the stomach. As a result, it shifts upward, presses on the diaphragm and the baby hiccups.
Remedy for hiccups in newborns
Hiccupping of newborn babies after feeding is a normal phenomenon, which is due to the characteristics of the body. In most cases, this goes away on its own and the baby does not cause any inconvenience. However, if the attacks last for a long time, parents are worried and ask: what to do, what to do if the baby hiccups for a long time. So that the baby does not have long bouts of hiccups, they can be prevented: feed properly and perform other simple activities. Below are two cases in which babies need help: 1) the baby is bottle-fed; 2) the baby is breastfed.
Artificial feeding
When a mother feeds a baby with milk mixtures, it can be difficult to understand whether the baby is full or still hungry. The mixture is usually prepared according to a recipe. For one newborn, this portion is enough, for another baby, a smaller portion is needed. However, mothers try to give him the whole bottle. The result is overfeeding. Together with milk, he swallows air.
Pediatricians advise feeding small portions of formula milk, but do it more often. The baby will not have time to get hungry and will eat more calmly and slowly, will not swallow air. Smaller portions of food are digested better and more efficiently.
Artificial feeding causes hiccups due to swallowing air Artificials can also be fed on demand, as can those babies who are breastfed.
After feeding, when the bottle was taken from the baby, you need to hold him in a horizontal position, put his head on your shoulder. Then the excess air that has entered his stomach will be easier to get out. Then you can massage the abdomen with very light circular movements clockwise. Two minutes is enough for this. The final stage of feeding the baby is belching. Thus, the stomach is freed from air; this prevents hiccups. If the newborn is restless during eating, moves and starts to cry, it is necessary to stop feeding for a while and let him burp.
Give your child something to drink to stop the hiccups If the baby's tummy is swollen, gases have accumulated there and interfere with it, the mother needs to attach the baby with her tummy to her stomach and carry him until he calms down. This will facilitate the release of gases from the intestines, they will no longer put pressure on the diaphragm, and as a result, the baby will stop hiccuping. The pediatrician will select mixtures suitable for the baby that will not cause gas formation.
Before feeding, you need to put the baby on his stomach, so this will help him get rid of the accumulated gases in the intestines. After saturation, babies are not laid on their backs. The child needs to be held in an upright position for fifteen minutes. Then air will come out of the stomach, and the baby will not be disturbed by hiccups.☝
Too large a hole in the bottle nipple allows the baby to drink more milk formula than necessary. Therefore, it is necessary to buy nipples with a small hole. When food enters the baby's mouth slowly, during this time he will satisfy the sucking reflex and will not overeat.
Upright position after feeding Breast-feeding
A nursing mother needs to follow a certain diet, eating only those foods that will not cause bloating in the baby.
There are two reasons why a baby may overeat. First, it is a strong hunger. The baby should be applied to the breast on demand, and not according to a certain regimen. Then he will not get hungry enough to overeat. Proper attachment to the chest will prevent swallowing air. It is necessary that the baby captures the nipple and areola with his mouth.
How to help if the child hiccups Experienced mothers are advised to attach the baby to the chest again if he began to hiccup after eating. This technique helps to get rid of it.
It needs to be known. Babies sometimes have bouts of prolonged hiccups that cannot be soothed. Then you need to seek medical help from a pediatrician. The doctor will examine the baby and prescribe treatment.