Why does my newborn hiccup all the time?

Why does my newborn hiccup all the time?

One of the most common questions I get when parents go home with their new babies is related to all the various big sounds that come from their tiny babies! Is that okay?! What is going on? Well, newborns are still trying to figure everything out. Those nervous systems are not quite mature. This can lead to several things, including those noisy hiccups.

Newborns hiccup. A lot. In fact, you may have felt them hiccuping while they were in the womb. Well, just because they are born, it doesn't mean that the hiccups go away! Our body has a nerve, called the phrenic nerve, that goes to the diaphragm (that flat muscle underneath your lungs). In babies that nerve just fires randomly. And the result? Hiccups!!

Often times it is not related to feeding too fast or not burping...it is just that immature nervous system. The hiccups will go away on their own, and are not a cause for concern. So, you can just let their little bodies do their thing, and the hiccups will eventually stop.

If you notice that hiccups occur after feeding you can try to change positions while feeding--usually placing them more upright can help. You can also try to burp them more frequently to see if that helps.

Ultimately, hiccups tend to bother parents more than babies. So, don't get too concerned about those cute little "hics." As your baby gets older and their nervous systems mature, you will notice less and less hiccups. And who knows, you may even end up missing those cute little "hics" from the first few weeks :)