What Causes Hiccups in Infants

Hiccups in infants, as said, are common for most moms and in some cases they are there with the babies right from the time of pregnancy, when they are still inside their mother's womb. Hiccups in babies and in adults have their cause in the working of the diaphragm, which is a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of the chest; it separates the abdominal and thoracic cavities. Hiccups are characterized by a distinctive sound and all hiccups originate from here, that is, the diaphragm.

Causes of Hiccups

As said, hiccups have their source in the diaphragm of the human body. During the process of inhalation, the diaphragm pulls down in order to aid the lungs to pull in the air. Reversely, it pushes up to aid in the exhalation. While in adults, the main cause of hiccups is the irritation of the diaphragm through hot or spicy foods, eating too quickly or too much, an irritation in the stomach or the throat, or feeling nervous or excited; swallowing air causes hiccups in infants. When babies breathe in air, the diaphragm pulls itself in a sudden and a jerky way, causing the air to rush in and hit the voice box, resulting in a hiccup. In other words, upon swallowing of air, an occurrence of spasm of the diaphragm takes place and this spasm results in the swallowed air to rush abruptly through the windpipe. This windpipe is then immediately forced closed and this stops the air flow, causing the vocal cords to shut in a rapid manner. This slight malfunction in the diaphragm results in hiccups.

Swallowing of air in babies is evident with hiccups while feeding. This is because, they tend to swallow a lot of air along with the fed milk, and especially when they are being fed from a bottle. Other explanations may be related to drop in temperature. When babies get cold due to sudden exposure to cold, they normally suffer from hiccups.

There might be other underlying issues in the body which may also come to picture when knowing about what causes hiccups in children? One such issue is related to acid reflux in babies [gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)], wherein, the acid in the baby's stomach is regurgitated into esophagus, causing hiccups.

How to Stop Hiccups in Babies?

There's nothing much you can do except gently patting the back of the baby after having fed. While patting the back, hold the baby against your shoulder. This will help the baby to burp and calm down the hiccups. Stroking the head of the baby also helps in reducing the hiccups and so does feeding with gripe water (about 2.5 ml).

Sometimes, the tip of the nipple of a milk bottle, becomes so large that it causes the baby to suck in extra amount of milk and air, which causes hiccups. So, keep a check on the flow of the milk from the bottle; whether its dripping or has a constant flow.

In older babies, putting sugar under the tongue might also work in warding off the hiccups. The sweetness distracts the nerves and helps the diaphragm to relax. In much older children, holding the breath for half a minute or so, gulping water at a go or even eating peanut butter are effective enough to take care of the hiccups.

It is important for all mothers to know that hiccups are harmless and they do not raise any serious concern for your babies' health. So whenever, you hear your baby go 'hic hic', worry not; simply follow the above self-care measures.