Wednesday, January 10, 2007

What to do when your newborn has hiccups?

A newborn is a bundle of mystery. Anything out of the ordinary which is sleeping, perplexes me. the first few days I was dashing to the nurses room every half an hour with a concerned face, "He has hiccups now. He has sneezed more than 4 times. Does he have cold? and such." I was told at the hospital that hiccups, sneezing and burping is quite common among newborns and infants. It is not a cause of concern when your newborn hiccups. My boy hiccups quite frequently through the day and the probability of one occurring after a good session of feeding is high. This I believe is attributed to the intestines not being fully developed.

Though no course of action is required, it can be quite a discomfort for the baby and you. You can make him suck or give him a small feed and this stops the hiccup. water is generally not recommended for newborns. So you might want to check with your doctor before giving water.