How long do fetal hiccups last

Hiccups | Pregnancy Birth and Baby

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Most people get hiccups – or hiccoughs – from time to time. Hiccups occur when the diaphragm – the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen and plays an important role in breathing – suddenly and involuntarily tightens, resulting in a hiccup sound being produced at the top of the windpipe. The medical name for hiccups is singultus.

Hiccups are a reflex action, which means that you don't have any control over them. Hiccups are not usually serious and in most cases only last a few minutes.

Hiccups can affect people of any age, including babies. Men and women are equally affected by episodes of short-lived hiccups.

Hiccups in babies

It is very common for babies under 12 months to get the hiccups. In fact, babies often hiccup in the womb before they are born.

Hiccups are not a reason for concern and they will generally cause a baby no distress. Your baby will usually stop hiccupping within 5 to 10 minutes, but if your baby's hiccups do not stop within a couple of hours, you should see your doctor.

Babies usually hiccup when they are being fed and they will sometimes hiccup for no apparent reason. There is no reason to try to stop your baby from hiccuping, but sometimes a breastfeed or some water can help it stop.

If you find that your baby often gets hiccups during feeding, you may want to slow down the feeding to allow time for your baby to be more relaxed.

How do you stop hiccups?

Hiccups will usually stop on their own. While there have been many solutions suggested for hiccups, they are not scientifically proven. Here are some common home remedies to try:

slowly sipping ice-cold water
holding your breath for a short period
gently placing pressure on your nose while swallowing
gently placing pressure on the diaphragm
biting on a lemon
tasting vinegar
breathing into a paper bag (never place a bag over your head)
pulling your knees up to your chest
leaning forward to compress your chest

When should you worry about hiccups?

If hiccups are persistent, or last longer than 48 hours, your doctor will investigate whether an underlying condition may be causing them and may be able to prescribe medication to stop the episode.

Sources:

Queensland Health (Hiccups - everything you've ever wanted to know), Women’s and Children’s Health Network (Hiccups and how to get rid of them!)

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Last reviewed: November 2020

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What is normal and when to see a doctor

A pregnant person will notice many different movements as their fetus develops, and these movements are likely to get stronger with each trimester. As well as kicks, rolls, and jabs, a pregnant individual may also notice fetal hiccups. However, doctors do not fully understand what causes them.

Identifying fetal hiccups can be difficult. However, a pregnant person may notice that the sensation of hiccups is more rhythmic than other movements. Some people have described it as a twitch or pulsating feeling akin to a muscle spasm.

Pregnant people may start to feel the fetus move between weeks 16 and 20, but it can take longer in some cases. Doctors call the first fetal movement “quickening.”

Certain factors, such as the position of the placenta, can affect how soon a person feels their fetus move. The pregnant individual’s weight can also play a role, with those carrying less weight around their abdomen more likely to feel kicks and other movements sooner.

Doctors do not know the reasons why fetuses hiccup in the womb.

Not all of them will get the hiccups, yet others will get them often. Some theories suggest fetal hiccups have links to the developing lungs. However, this is not proven.

Even though it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why some pregnant people will feel their fetus hiccup in the womb, it is usually a good sign and a natural part of pregnancy.

However, in rare cases, fetal hiccups may indicate an issue with the pregnancy or fetus.

After 32 weeks, it is unlikely that a pregnant person will feel the fetus hiccup in the womb every day.

Therefore, they should contact a doctor if they have concerns about fetus movements — whether too much or too little — after 28 weeks.

A person with worries about fetal hiccups should contact their doctor. To put their mind at ease, a healthcare professional can check the health of the fetus.

As above, most pregnant people will begin to feel their fetus move anywhere between weeks 16 and 20 or possibly week 27 of pregnancy. Some individuals describe the initial feeling as popcorn popping or a butterfly fluttering its wings.

As the pregnancy progresses, pregnant people can distinguish the movements and feel kicks, rolls, and jabs that can occur throughout the day and night.

Most of these individuals also become aware of fetal hiccups in the second or third trimester, though some fetuses do not get hiccups in the womb, and some individuals may never feel them.

A fetus begins to do many surprising things as it grows and develops in the womb.

As well as hiccupping, fetuses can kick, jab, turn, and roll and can even smell, see, and hear before they are born. Additionally, some may start to suck their thumbs in the womb.

Eating sugar can often stimulate movement in a fetus, as can eating or drinking something hot or cold.

While fetal hiccups can be distracting, they are not painful, and episodes should not last longer than 15 minutes.

However, some fetal movements can cause discomfort and make it difficult for pregnant people to relax or even fall asleep.

Some tips for reducing the discomfort of fetal movements include:

lying on the left side of the body
using pillows to support the bump and ease pressure from the spine
eating a varied and nutritious diet
continuing to exercise moderately, as long as it is safe to do so
staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water
sticking to a regular bedtime and napping in the day, as necessary

Pregnant people should keep track of their fetus’s movements.

Health experts recommend paying attention to kicks and jabs, as frequent, regular fetal movement suggests that the fetus is developing correctly in the womb.

If a person notices any unusual or reduced movement, they should contact their doctor immediately.

In most cases, fetal hiccups are nothing to worry about. However, if there is any reason for concerns about fetal hiccups, it is best to consult a healthcare professional. They can help ensure that there is nothing wrong or recommend treatment if necessary.

Hiccups in the fetus during pregnancy

Svetlana Ogorelkina

July 05, 2021 at 13:07 Pregnancy and childbirth 97011 4 minutes

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Article

Why does a baby hiccup in the womb? Is this a norm or a pathology, and whether mom needs to do something - read this article.

P as the fetus grows and develops, a pregnant woman experiences a lot of unusual sensations: movements, periodic tremors in the abdomen and hiccups of the baby. With each trimester, these sensations intensify, and the woman feels even more clearly whether the baby is sleeping or awake. When the unborn child hiccups, the mother feels her stomach tremble. This state can last five minutes or even an hour. Many pregnant women do not know if hiccups are dangerous for a child, and immediately begin to panic, urgently consult a doctor, thinking that hiccups are the first symptom of hypoxia. But it's not. Let's see what hiccups are, whether it is a norm or a pathology.

Hiccups, according to gynecologists, do not harm the health and development of the fetus, do not lead to defects. He doesn't feel pain. He is in good health. Hiccups occur when a baby inadvertently swallows a large amount of fluid while thumb sucking, which causes the stomach to overstretch, causing the fetus to regurgitate excess fluid. Sometimes it happens that he does this on purpose, if mom ate something tasty and sweet - she wants to taste them.

There are still no exact causes of hiccups. Doctors cannot give a definite answer why it occurs. If a pregnant woman feels hiccups in the fetus four times a day after 28 weeks, then a specialist consultation is necessary in order to exclude hypoxia and understand whether the intake of nutrients is sufficient. Most often, hiccups appear in the second trimester. This is a short term condition that passes quickly.

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How to distinguish hiccups from fetal movements

It is not very difficult to do this. Ordinary movements are very different from hiccups. With them, the mother periodically experiences tremors in various parts of her abdomen. They are usually light, short, jerky. They may be concentrated in one or more places. With hiccups, movements are similar to twitching, ticking clocks. In the later stages, it is much easier to recognize it, but at the initial stage of pregnancy it is almost impossible.

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When to sound the alarm for hiccups

If it manifests itself very often, up to 10-15 times a day, while the fetal movements have decreased or increased, the stomach has become smaller than it should be, then you should immediately consult a doctor. CTG will help a pregnant woman to dispel all doubts and finally stop worrying. Even if during the diagnosis, the fetus periodically hiccupped, then hypoxia may not be confirmed.

What to do when pregnant with hiccups

If hiccups last for a long time, about 20 minutes during the day, then you need to take a walk in the fresh air and periodically breathe in and out. In this case, the inhalation should be deep, and the exhalation should be slow.
If hiccups caught up in the middle of the night, then the pregnant woman needs to change her body position. You can stand up, sit down, or just walk around the room. The main thing is to change the posture.
If hiccups appeared after eating a large amount of sweets, then the expectant mother needs to limit its amount, especially at night.
In order to calm the hiccups in the fetus, it is enough to stroke the abdomen. The baby, thanks to such actions, calms down faster, and the hiccups disappear after a while.
It is not recommended to use sedatives and be nervous, because hiccups are not dangerous for the fetus and are not a pathology.
Monitor your diet, drink enough fluids.
A pregnant woman needs to fully rest and consult a doctor in a timely manner if there are any suspicions about the condition of the fetus.

Movement of the baby is an important indicator of the state of the fetus in the womb. Whether it is good or bad for him, whether he feels a sufficient supply of oxygen. Gynecologists at the reception advise each time to monitor the number and nature of movements, even keep a diary of counting movements daily, starting from the 28th week. As soon as the mother has suspicions about the well-being of the fetus, she immediately seeks help. Hiccups in the fetus should not cause any panic in the pregnant woman. She should regard it as a normal condition that passes quickly.

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Why the fetus hiccups during pregnancy

The hiccups of the baby in the womb is one of the signs that worries the expectant mother. It seems to her that such behavior of the baby indicates pathologies and problems. He understands why the baby hiccups in the stomach during pregnancy.

What is hiccups

Under hiccups understand such a violation of breathing, when a person begins to involuntarily take short breaths. This reaction involves the diaphragm, intercostal muscles and epiglottis. The contraction of the intercostal muscles leads to oscillations of the diaphragm and shortening of inspiration, and the closure of the epiglottis causes the sound characteristic of this condition.

It is not known for certain what causes hiccups, but there are several assumptions about this:

Possible reason	Description
Evolution	It is believed that hiccups are caused by air entering the stomach. This happens when a person eats too quickly or talks with a full mouth. In infants, hiccups happen when the baby swallows air while sucking or the mother overfeeds him.
Diseases	Constant hiccups can indicate the development of a variety of pathologies. For example, it occurs in pathologies of the nervous system - pinched nerves, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, inflammation of the brain and meninges.
External influences	Such a reaction can develop with toxic damage to the nerves. It occurs with diabetes mellitus, thyroid diseases, while taking certain medications (for example, antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, epidural anesthesia).

Pathological hiccups do not go away for a long time and require mandatory medical intervention to determine and eliminate the cause due to which it arose.

Why does the baby hiccup in the stomach

In the womb, the development of the baby is completely dependent on the mother's body. Only his circulatory and nervous systems work autonomously. The rest of the systems (respiratory, excretory, digestive) do not work - oxygen and nutrients enter the baby through the placenta. She also displays the products of exchange.

Why does a child hiccup in the womb if its internal organs are not fully formed, and the fetal bladder reliably protects the baby from external influences? As for adults, there is no exact answer to this question.

However, there are two hypotheses:

Swallowing amniotic fluid.
Fetal hypoxia.

Despite the fact that the child is completely dependent on the mother, he masters many skills in utero. For example, he sucks his thumb and learns to swallow. When swallowed, some of the liquid enters the stomach and can cause it to begin to hiccup in the stomach. In this case, hiccups do not pose any danger to the unborn child or mother.

Hypoxia is an abnormal condition. It can cause a variety of pathologies in the fetus. Hypoxia is determined not only by the fact that the fetus hiccups in the abdomen every day, but also by other signs - a change in heart rate, impaired placental blood flow, and so on.

It is not known for certain why a baby has hiccups in the womb. However, if the child often hiccups in the stomach, this may indicate that not enough oxygen is supplied to him. If you are worried about the condition of your baby, talk to the doctor by phone, the specialists are in touch with you around the clock. Experienced obstetricians will tell you what signs you need to pay attention to and when you need to urgently seek medical help.

How does a mother feel

Hiccups in the fetus are very different from other movements, so the mother can easily distinguish it from other types of baby activity. More active movements of a woman can be felt from 16 weeks. However, the fact that the baby hiccups in the stomach, the pregnant woman begins to feel after 26 weeks. This is due to the size of the fetus and the fact that it has less and less room to move.

What does it feel like when a baby hiccups in the stomach? Usually they look like rhythmic pushes. Similarly, hiccups are felt in adults when they hiccup themselves. Only with the hiccups of children in the mother's stomach are they softer and smoother. Often, unfamiliar sensations force a pregnant woman to consult a doctor with complaints about them. In most cases, such reinsurance is unnecessary.

What to do if a baby has hiccups in the womb

As in adults, intrauterine hiccups quickly resolve on their own and do not require any treatment. However, some factors can trigger prolonged seizures that may not go away on their own. These include:

Smoking by the pregnant woman herself or her family members indoors.
Long stay in a static position.
Excessive physical activity.
Prolonged stay in a stuffy room.

What can be done to stop the baby from hiccuping?

Stroke the belly and talk to the baby.
Change position.
Take a short walk.
Do a light workout.

Do not take sedatives or other medications. Usually hiccups go away by themselves after these simple manipulations. However, if they do not help, it is worth being examined for fetal hypoxia.

Important! Hiccups can also occur due to the diet of the pregnant woman. If a woman eats a lot of sweets, amniotic fluid also changes the taste. The baby likes it, because of which he begins to swallow more and more liquid.

FAQ

Why does the fetus hiccup at 26 weeks pregnant?

It is not known exactly what causes hiccups. It is believed that it occurs due to the ingestion of amniotic fluid and the development of hypoxia in the fetus. It is possible to distinguish one condition from another on ultrasound.

What influences the development of hiccups?

The appearance of hiccups can be influenced by the mother's diet, as well as factors that provoke fetal hypoxia. These include smoking, being in a stuffy room, lying on your back for a long time, and excessive exercise.

How to distinguish hiccups from other movements?

You can understand that the baby hiccups in the womb by the characteristic rhythmic shocks. They are similar to what adults experience during hiccups - the chest rises and falls rhythmically.

What to do if the child constantly hiccups?

If the child hiccups for a long time and constantly, you need to undergo an unscheduled ultrasound and Doppler examination of the umbilical blood flow to determine the cause of this phenomenon and exclude fetal hypoxia.

Expert opinion

Hiccups are completely normal. She says that the child grows, develops and prepares for independent swallowing and breathing. However, sometimes hiccups can indicate hypoxia. To exclude it, a pregnant woman needs to undergo an unscheduled ultrasound and a Doppler study.