Hiccups In Newborns After Feeding, What To Do?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Hiccups in babies after feeding, how to deal with it?

Periodically, every newborn baby has a hiccup after being fed. As a rule, such a situation does not pose any threat to the baby's health, does not cause him discomfort. However, the fears of young parents force them to take various measures to eliminate hiccups. How to do the right thing and what to do with a newborn's hiccups is not difficult to figure out if you understand the mechanism and causes of its occurrence.

Content:

• Causes of hiccups in newborns
• How can I help my newborn deal with hiccups?
• When should you see a doctor?
• Prevention of hiccups in newborns

Causes of hiccups in newborns

After eating, the newborn often has hiccups.

The reasons that lead to this phenomenon:

• Air has entered the stomach. During swallowing movements, the child can catch air. It quickly fills a small stomach and stretches it. The organ begins to press on the diaphragm, which leads to its reflex contractions and the baby hiccups. Excess air can enter the digestive tract due to the fact that the mother does not properly attach the baby to the breast, or feeds him from a bottle that has too large a hole. However, even the use of anatomically correct nipples and adherence to the feeding technique do not always prevent air from entering the stomach of the baby.
• Overfeeding. If the mother offers the baby more milk than his stomach can hold, it will lead to hiccups. The mechanism of its development is similar to that described in the previous paragraph. Violation of the diet can also lead to overstretching of the stomach and cause hiccups.
• Muscle strain.
• Lack of water in the body. Newborns, like adults, can be thirsty, which will lead to hiccups.
• Infectious agents such as flu and cold viruses, as well as parasitic infestations, can irritate the diaphragm. Nasal congestion often interferes with sucking movements and causes the baby to take in large volumes of air. However, in newborn babies, these causes of hiccups are rare.

• Underdevelopment or imperfection of internal organs. The immaturity of the digestive system leads to the fact that the child may have intestinal colic. They are expressed in increased gas formation and pain. The more gases accumulate in the intestines, the more pressure will be on the diaphragm, which means that the higher the likelihood of hiccups.
• When a newborn is breastfed, inaccuracies in the mother's diet can lead to hiccups. The likelihood of its occurrence increases if a woman eats foods such as: caffeine, chocolate, citrus fruits, eggs, peanuts.
• GERD can lead to hiccups. With this disease, the acidic contents of the stomach are thrown into the child's esophagus. In addition to hiccups, it will be indicated by symptoms such as: disturbance of night sleep, colic, frequent regurgitation, increased anxiety of the baby, etc.
• Hiccups can be caused by polluted air. If it contains a lot of dust or other components that irritate the respiratory tract, the baby will cough. Coughing contributes to the contraction of the diaphragm, makes it vibrate, which can provoke hiccups.

Hiccups can appear in a baby after feeding, but it will not be associated with food intake. In this case, its causes can be reduced to hypothermia or emotional overexcitation. To understand that a newborn is cold, you need to touch his hands, feet, nose. If they are cold, it means that measures should be taken to warm the baby: put on socks, a cap, try to increase the ambient temperature. Emotional shock in a baby can happen even when exposed to the most commonplace factors that adults do not pay attention to. This includes bright lights, loud sounds, sudden changes in scenery, and even the appearance of a stranger in the room. Increased anxiety leads to spasm of the diaphragm and provokes hiccups.

How can I help my newborn deal with hiccups?

If a newborn's hiccups develop immediately after feeding, then the first thing the mother should do is raise it. It is necessary to give the child an upright position, which will facilitate the process of passing excess air.

Spitting up is a natural phenomenon for all newborns. It makes it possible to remove not only excess air from the stomach, but also excess food. Therefore, you should not be afraid of him. As a rule, the hiccups stop immediately after spitting up.

To facilitate the process of regurgitation in a baby, you need to use the following recommendations:

• Take the child in your arms, lifting it so that the head is above the body. Leave the newborn in this position for 15 minutes.
• Occasionally, distraction can help manage hiccups after feeding. To do this, you need to shake a rattle in front of the child, switching his attention.
• You can put a warm diaper on the crumbs' stomach.
• A gentle clockwise abdominal massage helps to cope with hiccups. Such actions contribute to the discharge of gases, getting rid of colic.
• In addition to massage the abdomen, back massage helps to get rid of hiccups. The child is placed vertically, in a sitting position, supporting his head. In circular motions, you need to drive along his back, gently rubbing it from the waist to the shoulder,
• You can give your child warm water.

If a newborn is breastfed and has frequent hiccups after eating, you need to make sure that the formula is right for him. In some cases, it is an allergic reaction to its components that can cause bloating and hiccups. To cope with the problem, you need to stop using the wrong mixture.

Drugs that are safe for newborns can help reduce bloating and prevent hiccups.

These include:

• Bobotik.
• Espumisan.
• Sub Simplex.
• Dill water.

If a woman is breastfeeding a baby, she should monitor her diet. Foods that can provoke hiccups should be eaten no earlier than an hour before feeding and in small quantities.

Video: What to do if a newborn hiccups after eating?

When should you see a doctor?

Most often, hiccups in newborns are a harmless phenomenon that passes on their own after a short period of time. However, sometimes it can indicate a serious illness and occur regardless of food intake.

Prolonged incessant attacks of hiccups in a child can be a symptom of pathologies such as:

• Meningitis, encephalitis and other lesions of the central nervous system.
• Intoxication of the body against the background of infectious diseases, disorders in the functioning of the kidneys and liver.
• Congenital pathologies of the digestive system.
• Diabetes.
• Parasitic invasions.

If the child hiccups after each feeding and in between meals, and the hiccups themselves are persistent and difficult to eliminate, you need to consult a doctor.

When hiccups develop against the background of severe pathologies, it will not be their only sign. The child will certainly have other symptoms, indicating that not everything is in order with his health and he needs medical help.

Prevention of hiccups in newborns

To prevent the appearance of hiccups in a newborn baby, you need to follow simple measures:

• If the baby is drinking breast milk, then feed it on demand. When a baby eats artificial mixtures, then he should eat by the hour. Although until now, experts have not come to a consensus on this issue. Some of them insist on feeding on demand. Other doctors point out that you need to adhere to a strict regimen.
• Before feeding, you need to lay the baby on his stomach for several minutes, which will allow excess air to be removed from the stomach. After feeding, the baby must be held in a column.
• If a woman has a lot of milk, it is best to express the first portion. The fact is that the "back" milk has a high fat content and contributes to better saturation of the child. In addition, such a measure will relieve overeating.
• It is important to ensure that the baby is properly latching on to the breast.
• The bottle should be picked up with a nipple that is not too big. You need to keep it at the right angle.
• If the baby does not require breast, there is no need to force him to drink milk.
• The temperature in the room where the child is located should be comfortable. It is important to ensure that the air is sufficiently humid. These measures will prevent the development of hiccups due to hypothermia and thirst.
• If the child suffers from colic, then you can use special anti-colic bottles. Their design prevents the trapping of excess air and prevents the development of hiccups.

If the child develops hiccups against the background of colic and other problems with stool are observed, then the woman needs to reconsider her diet. It is important to stop eating foods that contribute to increased gas production.

In case of intolerance to the components of the breast formula, you should consult a pediatrician. Your doctor will help you choose a product that is less likely to cause an allergic reaction.

Many women refuse to feed if they see that the baby has begun to hiccup. In fact, you can continue to feed your baby, but only if the hiccups are not the result of overeating. Alternatively, you can stop feeding and give your baby a small portion of clean boiled water.

Hiccups after feeding is a natural physiological phenomenon that all parents have noticed at least once in their lives. If it is irregular and passes quickly, then you should not worry about this. Most often, it is possible to cope with it without the help of a doctor. As the crumbs grow older, hiccups will occur less and less. As a rule, after six months this phenomenon goes away on its own and happens as rarely as in an adult. However, if a child's hiccups alarms the parents, then you need to visit a doctor and try to solve the problem together with a specialist.

The author of the article: Sokolova Praskovya Fedorovna | Pediatrician

Education: Diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received at the Volgograd State Medical University. A specialist certificate was immediately received in 2014.