Newborns and Hiccups

Newborns are full of delight and surprises for their new parents. From little coos to irregular breathing, your newborn baby will have you wrapped around his fingertips in those first few weeks of life. It is normal for new parents to be completely at a loss at times with what is normal vs not normal for their newborn baby.  

Are hiccups normal for newborns?

One of the most common questions I get asked about newborns is whether hiccups are normal. Like little hiccups that the fetus makes in the mom’s womb, which can often be felt in the last trimester of pregnancy, hiccups in newborns also occur frequently. Newborn hiccups sound like little staccato gasps of air. They are quick, high-pitched squeals while asleep or awake, and the baby seems to be not bothered. They can last from a minute to over 15-20 minutes.  

It is completely common to notice hiccups in your newborn. 

As your little one’s stomach stretches from feeding-it causes a normal neural response that tells your baby’s brain that he’s full and triggers a reflexive muscular contraction to slow down feeding. It can occur hours after your baby’s last feed or immediately after feeding.

What to do when your baby has hiccups:

Try putting your baby over your shoulders, gently pat his back and rock him gently. Within minutes, hiccups usually halt on their own as the stretched stomach slowly processes the milk within. 

Hiccups, along with many little peculiar things that newborns do, are one of the reasons we, pediatricians, love hearing from our new parents. If you have a question, chances are, we have heard it more than once before. 

As new parents, you want reassurance from your pediatrician knowing that everything is on the right track. We hope to be there for you and the baby to assist you in this special time as you and your baby both bond and learn from each other.