I was quite disturbed when I first give birth to kpo kia. To a first time mum’s horror, the elderly around her have loads of myth what was revealed only when a live baby is present for them to ‘show concern’ of.
Elderly’s Theory: Baby hiccup because they are cold.
Elderly’s Solution: Baby need to be dressed/covered up to stop the coldness.
I so feel like throwing a blanket around the elderly who told me this, especially when she and the other elderly start attempting to wrap my already hot (unfortunately kpo kia is scare of hot temperature like me, and that day is consider warm although it’s very windy) kpo kia with more clothing
*ROLLED EYES*
Unfortunately again she is kpo kia’s relative, so my blanket is thrown to her in my mind only.
The fact:
Hiccup can be due to involuntary contraction of the muscle below the lungs (diaphragm), making the vocal cords close suddenly and causes one to a “hiccup sound”.
Baby can hiccup due to many reasons, including:
- feeding too much and caused a full stomach
- swallowing too much air while feeding
- sudden change in temperature
- anxious or excited
Usually, there is no major concern for healthy newborn babies to hiccup a lot, but in cases when hiccups last for too long, one might need to be beware of complications on ventilation, especially premature babies that need help breathing.
The solution:
Actually, it’s really not a big deal. The only time I find it disturbing is when kpo kia hiccuped so loud when we are shopping that the whole floor of the store and hear and the staffs and other customers laughed at us as we pass by.
For me, I just bring her to a corner and breastfeed her.
You can try other ways to help in your baby hiccup:
- Try to feed your baby in a more upright position.
- Hold your baby upright for up to 20 minutes after each feed.
- Try giving your baby smaller but more frequent feeds.
- If you bottle-feed your baby, burp him every two minutes or three minutes during feeds.
