It is common for newborns to hiccup after breastfeeding. Parents needn’t worry too much. During the six months after the baby’s birth, if the baby swallowed the air while drinking milk, hiccupping would occur. The best way to prevent hiccup in newborn babies is to burp after breastfeeding.
After feeding the baby, if the parents do not help the baby hiccup, in principle, as long as the baby is held upright for 20 to 30 minutes, the air will slowly rise and then discharge naturally, the baby will hiccup. Burping is not only to help the baby hiccup, but also to soothe the baby, because the baby is very fond of being patted on the back.
Newborn babies often fall asleep when drinking milk. When parents find that their babies are asleep, many parents and older generations will hesitate to help their babies hiccup. Will this wake up the baby? In fact, even if the baby is asleep, parents still need to help the baby hiccup. When babies fall asleep, they will also hiccup to expel air out of the body.
Novice parents may overlook this problem. When they see their baby asleep, they will place the baby directly on the bed and lie flat, so that the baby may vomit or overflow, which is more dangerous when lying down.
Many novice parents are not very clear how to help the newborn hiccup, in fact, this is not difficult, as long as the way is correct, parents can help the baby vent the air in the belly and reduce the situation of vomiting. There are two ways to help the baby hiccup:
1. Hold the baby’s head in one hand and the baby’s buttocks on the other hand. Hold the baby upright and let the baby’s head rest on the adult’s shoulder. Gently pat the baby’s upper back with a hollow palm to expel air out of the body.
2. Let the baby sit on the parent’s thighs, the side of the body is against the parents’ chest, the parent bends an elbow to hold the baby’s chin, and the other hand pats the baby’s back with a hollow palm.
What if the baby belches all the time?
Abdominal breathing is the main type of breathing in newborns, and the diaphragm is a part of the infant’s breathing muscle. When a baby eats milk too fast or inhales cold air, it will stimulate the autonomic nervous system, which causes sudden contraction of the diaphragm, prompt inhalation and a “hiccup” sound. When this sound is emitted rhythmically, it is called a baby hiccup. Neonatal hiccups should be paid special attention to and carefully cared for. The following are solutions for different hiccups in babies:
The quicker way to treat a baby’s hiccup is to hold him up, pat his back, feed him warm boiled water, and then stimulate his sole with hands (a little pinch, not too hard) to make him cry and stop the sudden contraction of the diaphragm. After the baby cries a few times, the hiccup will disappear naturally.
If the baby is only a slight hiccup, you can use the fingertips to gently tickle his lips or ears. The nerves around his lips are more sensitive. The tickling can relax his nerves and then the hiccup disappears. The nails should not be too long to avoid scratching your baby’s delicate skin.
If parents smell the odor of undigested sour rot when the baby hiccups, it means that the baby digestion is not good, so it is easy to cause hiccups. Parents can gently massage their abdomen or let the baby drink hawthorn water to help digestion. Hiccups will stop naturally when the baby’s digestion is normal.
If the baby has no other diseases and suddenly belches loudly, powerfully and continuously, it is likely that the baby has a cold. Parents should pay attention to keep the baby warm.