Mom's concern for the well-being and health of their children sometimes transcends the boundaries of common sense. For example, some break off the phones of familiar mothers and pediatricians, trying to learn how to save a newborn from hiccups. But you should not set a goal - to completely remove these reflexive contractions, it is much better to try to find out why they appeared, and prevent them.
Mechanism of occurrence
Before you deal with the causes of hiccups, it is advisable to understand the physiology of its appearance. In babies of the first months of life, it arises due to the fact that they still have a weak diaphragmatic muscle, it begins to contract due to the slightest irritant. In excitable crumbs, it can even appear due to bright light, sound, or sudden movement. Its mechanism is quite simple: the diaphragm involuntarily shrinks, while the lungs take a sharp breath, which is accompanied by a characteristic and well-known sound. In this case, the baby may tremble a little.
Possible causes of hiccups
As a rule, this is a completely natural process. Do not worry too much if you have
hiccups in newborns. Many mothers will be able to tell you what to do, because most of them have encountered these characteristic diaphragm contractions in their children. First of all, try to understand what exactly caused it. So, among the most common reasons are called:
- swallowing air during feeding;
- A large amount of food that the baby eats at one time;
- a large hole in the nipple on the bottle with the mixture (the crumb may hiccup due to the fact that while eating the food begins to choke);
- cold or thirst.
Some also say that hiccups in newborns after feeding can be an indirect sign of pneumonia, various gastrointestinal infections, and liver problems. But do not panic ahead of time. Most often this happens due to the fact that excess air or gaziki raise the stomach, and it becomes an irritant to the diaphragm. No less common cause is cold. The newborn strains the abdominal muscles, which also leads to the fact that the stomach begins to put pressure on the diaphragm. This reaction to the cold indicates that the baby is learning to adapt to environmental conditions.
How to deal with frequent iris contractions?
Hearing the characteristic sounds from the baby, try to help him get rid of unpleasant sensations. If you figure out the reason, then understanding how to help a newborn with hiccups will become easier. To eliminate the contractions caused by overeating, you can press it vertically to yourself or lay it on the tummy. If the baby’s little body is cool, maybe the baby just froze. Dress him warmer or cover with a blanket.
A newborn can be helped by simply giving him a few sips of water or by applying it to his chest for a couple of minutes. Usually, experienced parents do not cause hiccups in newborns without fear, what to do in this case, as a rule, they know. After all, you are unlikely to find at least one mom or dad who has never been hiccuped by a tiny baby.
Prevent the problem
Often, hiccups in a newborn after eating arise due to the fact that, along with the nutrition, the baby swallowed the air. In this case, it is possible to prevent the contraction of the diaphragmatic muscle if you wear it with a column after each meal. This will help gas bubbles to exit easily. It is worth noting that most often mothers actively and eagerly sucking babies complain about hiccups. Such children need to pause during meals, this will help prevent the accumulation of a large amount of air in the stomach. During the break, carry the child in a column. For babies who drink the mixture from the bottle, it is important to choose the right pacifier. For the smallest, the hole should be small, otherwise you will not be able to overcome the problem of involuntary diaphragm reduction.
Frequent hiccups in a newborn require increased attention to measures for its possible prevention. They boil down to the fact that it is necessary to prevent increased gas formation. So, among the most popular and effective methods are called frequent laying out on the tummy, massage, nutrition adjustment for a nursing mother, or the selection of another mixture for an artificial baby.
What does the baby feel?
Of course, no one can say for sure whether the diaphragm contractions cause the baby concern. But judging by the fact that most crumbs themselves are quite calm about the fact that they have hiccups, then there is no need to talk about severe discomfort. A hiccuping baby can lie quietly, play with rattles, walk and smile. Of course, if he is cold or if something hurts him, then he will certainly begin to express concern. In all other cases, parents have no reason to worry.
With a normal physiological hiccup, a baby can only be bothered by the fact that he cannot fall asleep and is uncomfortable to eat. By the way, you should not try to feed the baby while he hiccups.
Should I tell the doctor?
If your baby hiccups just a few minutes a day, then you can tell the local pediatrician about this just to hear that it is quite natural. Also, the doctor will be able to reassure you that parents should not be disturbed by the short and short hiccups in newborns. What to do if it does not cause discomfort to the baby, but only causes the parents to panic, the doctor will also tell. Shelter, vilify the column on the handles and give some water - some of these techniques must help.
But in cases when the hiccups are protracted, you need to contact a pediatrician as soon as possible. Some crumbs literally hiccup during the day. For others, it can last for several tens of minutes or even hours. These conditions, of course, require additional consultation with a specialist.
Possible pathologies
If you complain to the pediatrician about the frequent and prolonged hiccups, which can not be eliminated, then be prepared for the fact that your child will have to undergo an examination. Also, do not be silent if you see that she gives the baby visible anxiety. After all, this is not a usual hiccup in newborns, what to do in such situations is better for the doctor to decide.
One possible cause of this condition is neurological problems. In this case, contractions occur due to harsh sounds, bright light and even new faces. In this case, the neurologist should examine the baby, if necessary, a neurosonography will be done. If problems are found, do not refuse the appropriate treatment.
Another possible cause may be diseases of the stomach, liver, intestines. But such pathologies occur extremely rarely, although ultrasound of the abdominal cavity does not hurt. It will also not be amiss for a cardiologist to do an ultrasound examination of the heart. Hiccups can be an indirect sign of problems with the main muscle of the body. Often in often hiccups, an open oval window, additional chords, or even mitral valve prolapse are found.
Hiccups and vomiting
Some mothers say that the baby begins to hiccup, and after that it spits up very abundantly. At the same time, impressionable mothers begin to panic and re-feed the baby who has just finished eating. It seems to them that he has nothing left in his stomach. In this case, it is especially important to find out how to stop the hiccups in the newborn. Better yet, try to prevent it. Vomiting, of course, may indicate a pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, but most often it is a consequence of overfeeding the child. The stretched stomach presses on the diaphragmatic muscle, due to its contraction, and the release of excess food begins. If this is the reason, then solving this problem is very easy - reduce the amount that the baby drinks at a time. Even with breastfeeding this is possible, just slightly reduce the feeding time.
Was there a problem?
As a rule, by the age of six months, parents hiccups in newborns cease to bother. What to do when it occurs they already know. But this is not the main reason for the lack of anxiety - at this point in most babies the stomach and intestines fully mature, so hiccups occur less and less, and eventually disappear altogether. In most cases, all the fears of mothers are in vain.
But still, if your crumb each attack of hiccups lasts more than 20 minutes, more often - much longer, it repeats several times a day, and it is impossible to stop it using the described methods, it is better to talk with a specialist. An additional examination will not do any harm, but it will help to identify possible pathologies at an early age or a disease at the very beginning.