What causes newborn hiccups?

Babies’ immunity is not as strong as that of adults, and many babies suffer from indigestion due to eating problems. Many babies with indigestion may burp, vomit, or even worse. When babies hiccup, parents sometimes think that they are overeating and do not take it seriously. In fact, the concepts of baby burping and baby hiccups are completely different. Let me tell you what baby hiccups are.

Most hiccups in newborns are benign and self-limiting. They are not as uncomfortable as those in adults and will go away after a while. Of course, prevention should be the main focus for hiccups in newborns. Children should not eat when they are crying and are in a bad mood, and they should have the correct posture when feeding. For newborns who are breastfed, if the breast milk is sufficient, they should avoid letting the milk flow too quickly when eating; for infants who are bottle-fed, they should also avoid eating hurriedly, quickly, cold or hot food, and should swallow less and slowly when sucking. When a newborn baby hiccups, you can use toys to tease it or play soft music to distract it and reduce the frequency of hiccups.

Newborn hiccups are mostly caused by three reasons:

One is due to improper care, external wind and cold, the cold and hot air are reversed and not smooth, as the saying goes, "drinking cold wind" and inducing hiccups;

Second, it is due to improper milk and food. If you do not eat milk and food in moderation, or if you consume too much raw and cold milk or take too much cold medicine, it will cause qi stagnation, weaken the spleen and stomach functions, and cause the qi movement to go up and move the diaphragm, thus inducing hiccups.

Third, eating too quickly or after crying can cause choking and hiccups.

If a person suddenly has hiccups without any other illness, and the hiccups are loud, powerful and continuous, it is usually caused by cold. You can give the person some hot water to drink, and cover the chest and abdomen with warm cotton clothes and quilts. In winter, you can also put a hot water bottle outside the clothes and quilts to keep them warm. Sometimes the hiccups can be cured without treatment. If the attack lasts for a long time or occurs frequently, you can also soak a small amount of orange peel in boiling water (orange peel has the function of unblocking Qi, resolving stomach turbidity, and regulating spleen qi), and drink it when the water temperature is suitable. The hiccups will stop if the water is cold enough.

If the hiccups are caused by undigested milk and food or the person has no appetite for milk and food, he or she may smell an undigested sour and rotten odor when hiccups occur. You can use methods to help digestion and relieve stagnation, such as gentle massage of the chest and abdomen to guide the air downward, or drink hawthorn water to relieve ventilation and defecation (hawthorn tastes sour, helps digestion and strengthens the stomach, and increases the secretion of digestive enzymes). Once the food is digested and the air is flowing smoothly, the hiccups will stop.

The above is the relevant information about baby hiccups. When the baby has hiccups, parents can gently pat the child's back to see if the condition gets better. Do not use rural folk remedies on the child at random. Methods without scientific basis may weaken the child's resistance. Also, do not give your child cold milk, as cold milk may be an indirect cause of your baby's hiccups.