What does hiccups mean when pregnant
Baby Hiccups in Womb: Is This Normal?
Pregnancy is a time of constant change for both you and your growing baby.
Along with all the kicks and jabs, you may notice that your baby hiccups inside the womb. Is this normal?
Here’s what you need to know about baby hiccuping in the womb, and when to contact your doctor.
Your baby meets many milestones before they’re born. Each stepping-stone gets them closer to being able to survive in the real world.
You’ll probably become aware of your little one’s movements by weeks 18 to 20. This is when fetal movement, also known as quickening, is often experienced for the first time.
Seasoned moms may feel quickening sooner in subsequent pregnancies. For others, it may take a bit longer, depending on factors like weight and placenta position.
On average, fetal movement can first be felt between weeks 13 and 25. It often starts as little butterfly kicks, or it might feel like popcorn popping in your belly. After a while, you’ll feel kicks, rolls, and nudges throughout the day.
Do you ever notice other movements, like rhythmic twitching? These motions may feel more like muscle spasms or other pulsing. But they might be fetal hiccups.
You may start to notice fetal hiccups in your second or third trimester. Many moms start to feel these “jerky motions” in their sixth month of pregnancy. But like fetal movement, everyone starts to feel them at a different time.
Some babies get the hiccups several times a day. Others may not get them at all. The cause of hiccups isn’t well-understood. This goes for why they happen in kids and adults, too.
One theory is that fetal hiccups play a role in lung maturation. In most cases, this reflex is normal and just another part of pregnancy.
It’s important to note that fetal hiccups are, in general, considered a good sign. After week 32, though, it’s less common to experience fetal hiccups every day.
You may want to contact your doctor if your baby continues to hiccup daily after this point, with the episodes lasting over 15 minutes, or if your baby has three or more series of hiccups in a day.
Moving around is the best way to determine if your baby has hiccups or is kicking. Sometimes, your baby might move if they’re uncomfortable in a certain position, or if you eat something hot, cold, or sweet that stimulates their senses.
You may feel these movements in different parts of your belly (top and bottom, side to side) or they may stop if you reposition yourself. These are likely just kicks.
If you’re sitting completely still and feel a pulsing or rhythmic twitching coming from one area of your belly, these might be baby’s hiccups. After a while, you’ll grow to know that familiar twitch.
Hiccups are typically a normal reflex. It’s been suggested, though, that if they’re frequent and persistent in later pregnancy you call your doctor or midwife.
If you experience a sudden change in your baby’s hiccups after 28 weeks (for example, if they’re stronger, or last longer than usual) you may want to contact your doctor for peace of mind.
They can examine you and find out if there’s an issue.
They can also help ease your worries if everything’s fine.
Your baby will move a lot as the weeks roll on. You might worry about these movements or even feel uncomfortable. For this reason, you might want to count kicks in late pregnancy. Paying attention to fetal movements can help you determine if your little one’s doing OK.
Here’s one way to count kicks:
- Starting in your third trimester (or earlier, if you’re high-risk), take time to count how long it takes for your baby to make 10 movements including kicks, jabs, or pokes.
- A healthy baby usually moves many times in a 2-hour period.
- Repeat this process each day, preferably at the same time of day.
- Baby not moving very much? Try drinking a glass of cold water or eating a small snack. You may also try pushing gently on your stomach to wake them.
Most women can feel 10 movements within just 30 minutes. Give yourself up to 2 hours. Call your doctor or midwife whenever you have concerns, or if you notice a large shift in movements from day to day.
Overall, it’s a good idea to pay attention to your baby’s movements. If you notice changes, talk with your doctor.
As far as feeling comfortable, you might try a few things to ease the aches, pains, and stress of frequent fetal movements. Try lying on your side propped with pillows, especially if you want a good night’s sleep. Eat healthy foods, and drink plenty of water and other fluids.
Regular physical activity can also give you extra energy and even help with stress relief. Heading to bed at the same time each night and taking naps can also help you feel better during the day.
In most, if not all, cases, fetal hiccups are a normal reflex. They’re a normal part of pregnancy. Your baby has a lot to do to practice for their debut on delivery day.
If your baby’s hiccups ever give you reason for concern, contact your doctor or midwife. Soon enough, you’ll get to see your little one hiccuping outside your tummy. Just hang in there!
Hiccups During Pregnancy (Are Hiccups a Pregnancy Symptom?)
Do you find yourself hiccuping a lot now that you’re pregnant? Are you wondering why that is and what it could mean for your baby?
While we expect a lot of side effects during pregnancy, constant hiccups are not usually one of them!
We’ll answer all the questions you never knew you had about pregnancy hiccups, including what causes hiccups during pregnancy.
We even have some tried and true tips for relieving uncomfortable hiccups — recommended by medical experts and experienced moms — to help you enjoy your pregnancy without the embarrassment of constant hiccups.
Table of Contents
- What Causes Hiccups?
- Are Hiccups an Early Sign of Pregnancy?
- Why Can’t I Stop Hiccuping?
- Can Hiccuping Too Much Hurt My Baby?
- I Can’t Eat Because of Hiccups
- Hiccups Are Keeping Me up All Night
- How Can I Get Relief From My Hiccups?
- Is It Silly To See My Doctor About Hiccups?
- Wrap Up
What Causes Hiccups?
Hiccups are caused by involuntary contractions of your diaphragm. The diaphragm is a long muscular membrane — one of the main muscles of respiration. So hiccups are basically just a muscle spasm of your diaphragm (1).
Hiccups usually clear up on their own, but they can go on for days, weeks, months, or even years in rare cases.
Are Hiccups an Early Sign of Pregnancy?
Hiccups can be a sign of early pregnancy. This is because many causes of hiccups are related to other pregnancy symptoms.
Here are some of the other reasons you might get hiccups:
- You’re short of breath.
- You feel sick.
- You have indigestion.
- You’re eating unusual foods.
- You’re stressed.
In other words, you might not notice you are craving unusual foods more often or that you’re feeling a bit sick a few times a day, but your body notices.
Since most women will notice a missed period, nausea, or breast tenderness first, hiccups aren’t a reliable sign. They’re just another one of those neat little early pregnancy symptoms that start making us aware of everything that’s going on.
Why Can’t I Stop Hiccuping?
Hiccups stop being a “neat” symptom when they are constant. Some pregnant women find they are hiccuping all day and all night, waking up with hiccups, or having a random episode nearly every day.
And if you’ve had an extended episode of hiccups before, you know just how annoying it can be when they won’t go away.
In A Nutshell
The good news is pregnancy itself is not causing your hiccups. The bad news is not all pregnancy hiccups can be eliminated.
The biggest cause of hiccups is nausea and indigestion. When we are not digesting our food well, when we have just vomited, or when we feel about to vomit, we can get hiccups.
Although you can avoid some of this, if you are one of the unfortunate women who have persistent nausea throughout pregnancy, your hiccups might be just as persistent. But once your beautiful baby is born, all of the symptoms disappear.
Emotional stress and excitement can make you hiccup too. Even if your hiccups are caused by indigestion, they might be made worse by being too overexcited.
Meditation has many benefits for you and your baby. And taking the time to slow down and relax may allow those pesky hiccups to go away (2).
Can Hiccuping Too Much Hurt My Baby?
Some women suppress their hiccups, worried the pressure of the belly tensing might harm their babies.
But there’s no evidence that hiccups harm babies. If you’re worried about persistent hiccups, you can speak to your care provider to set your mind at ease.
I Can’t Eat Because of Hiccups
Many women have difficulties with food during pregnancy. Morning sickness, worsened allergies, and food aversions are all common.
If hiccups are preventing you from eating, then you have double the problems — and all at a time when it’s essential to eat well.
If your hiccups stop you from eating, you might find it easier to carry some high-carb, low-sugar, low-salt, low-fat snacks.
Consider:
- Low-salt crackers.
- Breadsticks.
- Rice cakes or corn cakes.
- Unflavored popcorn.
- Dry cereal.
These are less likely to cause indigestion than other foods.
It might be tempting to have a huge feast as soon as the hiccups are gone, but this can make them start again.
Even if you feel like you’re starving, try to pace yourself and snack on easy-to-digest foods.
Hiccups Are Keeping Me up All Night
If your hiccups are stopping you from sleeping, then one of two things is likely happening, either your before-bed meal was too heavy or your stress level is elevated at night.
If you eat a large meal right before bed, snack in bed, or wake up in the night for snacks, you are probably not eating enough during the day.
- Try to eat your biggest meal in the middle of the day, when you are not so vulnerable to nausea or indigestion.
- Try to avoid fatty and protein-rich foods before bed.
- Limit acidic, spicy, and vinegary foods. These can increase acid reflux, which may irritate your diaphragm indirectly, causing more hiccups.
If your diet is not a trigger for your hiccups or you don’t eat much before bed and still get them, they could be due to stress. The same way that anxiety at night can cause insomnia, it can cause hiccups.
In this case, you might want to talk to your doctor or a therapist about your concerns. This is when meditation can help you. With apps like Expectful and Headspace, you can train your mind to relax.
How Can I Get Relief From My Hiccups?
We’ve already explored a few ways to prevent hiccups — eat a balanced diet to avoid indigestion, and do not get too emotional or excited. Both of which are easier said than done normally but especially during pregnancy.
So what can we do when we don’t eat properly or when we do get excited? Here are a few tips to help eliminate hiccups:
- Have things that make you swallow. Drinking water, dissolving sugar in the mouth, or sucking on sour candy can make you swallow, and that motion can help relax the diaphragm.
- Lie down to fight indigestion. If you have serious indigestion, lying down can help relax the diaphragm.
- Do breathing exercises. Practice deep breathing, slow your thoughts, and, in turn, relax your muscles.
Although all these tips are worth a try, none are guaranteed to help. The only guaranteed cure for hiccups is time.
Is It Silly To See My Doctor About Hiccups?
It’s never silly to see your doctor about any health concerns. Chances are, if you want to see your doctor, you haven’t been having hiccups for just 2 to 5 minutes, right?
Normally by the time we consider seeing a doctor, we have had hiccups for a day, or we have had one or more episodes of hiccups every day for a week.
These are not normal hiccup patterns and are worth checking out, especially if you have had consistent hiccups for over 48 hours.
Hiccups that last this long are very rare and may be a symptom of a physical problem.
These are some illnesses that can cause persistent hiccups:
- Breathing conditions such as asthma or pneumonia.
- Heart conditions such as pericarditis.
- Digestive conditions such as reflux, inflammatory bowel disease, or appendicitis.
- Nerve conditions such as multiple sclerosis.
- Metabolic conditions such as diabetes or Addison’s disease.
- A hernia.
- An infection that is affecting the nerves in the gut.
- A bad reaction to certain medications or drugs.
Keep In Mind
It’s always a good idea to speak with a health professional about any concern during pregnancy.
Wrap Up
Most of the time, hiccups during pregnancy are nothing to worry about. They mean you are excited and nauseous, and they will go away on their own. They will not hurt you or your baby.
Unless you have hiccups for two or more days without relief, they’re just another annoying side effect of being pregnant.
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Hiccups in the fetus during pregnancy
Svetlana Ogorelkina
July 05, 2021 at 13:07 Pregnancy and childbirth 99109 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. nine0003
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. nine0003
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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. nine0003
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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. nine0003
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. nine0039
- 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. nine0039
© odua / Photogenika
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. nine0003
Read also on our blog:
- What do fetal movements say
- Pathologies of pregnancy: everything about cord entanglement
- Prenatal bandage for pregnant women: pros and cons
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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. nine0003
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: nine0003
| 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. |
| 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 | nine0091
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. nine0003
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. nine0003
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. nine0003
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. nine0003
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 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: nine0003
- 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. nine0003
FAQ
Why does the fetus hiccup at 26 weeks pregnant?
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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?
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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. nine0003
How to distinguish hiccups from other movements?
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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?
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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. nine0003
Expert opinion
Hiccups are completely normal.
