Parenthood is a joyous phase of life. The tender touch, the cute smile, and the antiques – all make parenthood a priceless feeling.
However, parenthood is not a bed of roses and you are bound to have moments of tension, anxiety, and worry.
You will be worried about your baby’s diet, feeding and sleeping habits, safety, and overall health.
Parents try to do their best when it comes down to their baby’s health and safety and you are no exception.
It is natural to worry about even the smallest of the things, even if it is something as small as hiccups in newborns.
You will feel worried about why your newborn is having hiccups and what you can do to relieve them.
Well, newborn hiccups are not a serious issue but must be stopped and prevented nonetheless.
Continuous hiccups can cause discomfort for the baby and that’s not something that you want.
So, here let’s see some effective ways to stop newborn hiccups and avoid them too.
Ways to stop infant hiccups
If your baby is having hiccups, then here are a few things that you can do to relieve the situation:
Burp the baby
Infant burps occur commonly during feeding. This mainly occurs because the stomach gets filled with excess air causing it to push against the diaphragm.
This constant pushing causes spasms in the diaphragm which come out as burps. That is why it is suggested that you burp the baby while feeding it.
If you are breastfeeding, burp your baby when you change breasts. If the baby is being bottle-fed, try to burp it after every 2-3 ounces. This will push out the excess air that the baby sucks in while feeding and stop the hiccups.
Keep a pacifier handy
If you notice that your baby has hiccups even when it is not feeding, it is best to have pacifier close by.
Sucking on the pacifier will allow the diaphragm to relax and may help stop the hiccup bouts that your baby is having.
Rub the baby’s back
If you see your child having hiccups, you can rub his back and rock them gently.
The gentle movement will help the baby to relax and thus, may reduce and stop the spasms that cause the hiccups.
Feed the baby gripe water
Though there is no hard proof that gripe water has any benefits for stopping hiccups in babies.
However, it has often been seen that giving the baby little sips of the water can stop hiccups.
The water usually contains beneficial herbs like chamomile, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, etc.
This water is useful in treating stomach troubles, and if your baby is hiccupping because of stomach troubles, giving them gripe water may solve the problem and stop the hiccups.
Allowing the hiccups to recede
If the hiccups are infrequent or aren’t causing any problem to your baby, then you can wait it out.
If you see the hiccups recede quickly and without troubling your baby, there is no need to take any additional steps.
But if the hiccups last quite long, it is better to see a doctor about it as rare conditions can cause the baby to hiccup.
Preventing hiccups in newborns
If you are a parent, you would surely want your baby to face as less trouble as possible.
Naturally, stopping infant hiccups isn’t all that you would want to do, you would want to prevent the hiccups as well. Here are a few tips on preventing hiccups in newborns:
Make sure that you feed the baby on time so that it doesn’t become too hungry. Hungry babies can try to eat quickly and suck in a lot of air in the process.
Keeping the baby calm before and during eating is vital if you want to avoid newborn hiccups.
You should also make sure that you do not overfeed the baby. If the stomach is too full, it will push against the diaphragm, causing hiccups.
If the baby bottle-feeds, tip the bottle down so that any air on the top is displaced by the milk and doesn’t enter the stomach.
You should also see to it that the baby has the entire nipple inside its mouth to prevent air from entering the mouth.
Do not make the baby lie down immediately after feeding. Hold the baby in a sitting position for at least a few minutes before it lies down. This will prevent reflux and hiccups as well.
Do not engage in any heavy activity right after feeding. This includes bouncing, playing, etc. Keep the baby as calm as possible.
Stopping and preventing hiccups is important and you ought to try your best to do that.
There are many recommendations on how to do so, but the fact is, many of these are not really effective in stopping/preventing hiccups.
In fact, some such ‘recommendations’ can actually be harmful. Using such techniques on your newborn must totally be avoided as they can be the harbinger of more problems.
Here are some techniques that you should never apply on your newborn if he has hiccups:
- Do not make the child jump. There is no proof that this can stop hiccups.
- Do not scare the baby as that doesn’t work either.
- Putting wet cloth on the forehead has no effect on the baby’s hiccup.
- Do not make the baby hold its breath as this can be very dangerous.
- Never pull out the baby’s tongue to stop hiccups.
Newborn hiccups aren’t usually a matter of concern, but if the baby has too frequent hiccups, it is essential that you see a doctor.
Hiccups along with agitation or irritation may be the indication of underlying problems which need medical attention.
Make sure that you keep an eye out for continued hiccups and discomfort in your baby so that you can have your baby treated.
If that is not the case, there is nothing in it to worry.
Leave a Reply