Babies and Hiccups--What Gives?

If you Google "hiccups in babies" all kinds of listings pop up. It's amazing how many new parents want to know why their babies get the hiccups. If you're a mother, you probably remember that while you were pregnant, your baby could hiccup with what seemed like forever. Why do they do this? Hiccups are frequent, sudden contractions of the diaphragm muscle which are most likely to occur just after a feeding or when the child gets excited. As a newborn's internal organs develop and mature,

hiccups should diminish in intensity and frequency. Sometimes, babies with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) seem to hiccup more frequently. If your baby seems to hiccup more often than what you think is normal, and is spitting up/cranky, mention it to your pediatrician so they can rule out that anything irregular is going on (which is rare). Usually, the hiccuping bothers the parent more than the child. If they don't go away after a bit, then you can try these remedies:

• Burping the baby
• Letting the baby feed for a bit which relaxes the diaphragm
• Sitting the baby up
• Giving the baby Colic Calm, which has been seen to relieve hiccups

And, as everything with babies, don't worry too much because, "this too shall pass." Sources: BabyZone, BabyCenter, Colic Calm *Illustration taken from How Stuff Works