Why Does My Baby Get Hiccups? And How Do I Get Rid Of Them?
Doc Smitty answers your questions
At first your baby’s hiccups seem cute, but then they don’t seem to be going away. Now what?
Justin Smith, M.D., is a pediatrician and also the dad of three kids. He seemed like the perfect person to talk to about why babies get hiccups and how do you make them go away.
Hiccups are muscle spasms of the diaphragm and they actually happen more commonly in babies than adults and very normal. It is not known why some people get hiccups.
“They may occur more in babies because their stomach gets full and pushes against the diaphragm, which leads it to spasm,” Dr. Smith said.
He added not to panic if your baby has the hiccups. They will go away.
“You might be able to help by slowing the baby’s feeds down,” Dr. Smith said. “Burp between sides when breastfeeding or taking a break during a bottle feed and keep the baby up right after feeds for 10 to 20 minutes.
“But the main thing is not to worry because they will get better and less frequent as the baby gets older.”
Call your doctor if your child’s hiccups last for more than two days or seem so painful they are impacting the child’s daily life, such as eating or sleeping.
Get to know Justin Smith, M.D.
Justin Smith, M.D., is a pediatrician in Trophy Club and the Medical Advisor for Digital Health for Cook Children's in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Smith is an experienced keynote speaker for a variety of topics including pediatric/parenting topics, healthcare social media and physician leadership. If you are interested in having Dr. Smith present to your conference or meeting, please contact him at thedocsmitty@cookchildrens.org.
He has an active community on both Facebook and Twitter as @TheDocSmitty and writes weekly for Cook Children's checkupnewsroom.com. He believes that strategic use of social media and technology by pediatricians to connect with families can deepen their relationship and provide a new level of convenience for both of their busy lifestyles. Dr. Smith’s innovative pediatric clinic, a pediatric clinic “designed by you,” open now. Click to learn more. To make an appointment, call 817-347-8100.
