How can you help newborn hiccups?

Hiccups are repeated involuntary movements of the diaphragm, the muscle that helps breathing. In a newborn they can follow a full feed, swallowed air, rapid feeding, or a change in stomach pressure. They may look dramatic but generally do not distress the baby. Reflux can sometimes irritate the food pipe and accompany hiccups; [Acid Reflux](/conditions/acid-reflux/) is one possible explanation, but hiccups alone do not diagnose it.

If hiccups begin during a feed, stop briefly, hold the baby upright, and allow a gentle burp before offering the remaining milk. Feed when the baby is calm, keep the teat filled with milk during bottle-feeding, and avoid overfeeding. Do not give water, sugar, herbal remedies, or adult medicines, and never frighten or startle a newborn to stop hiccups. If episodes are frequent and linked with coughing, arching, poor settling, or feeds coming back up, discuss them with a clinician. Do not start [Acid Reflux Medication](/treatments/medical-management/acid-reflux-medication/) without medical advice.

Get urgent help if the baby struggles to breathe, turns blue or grey, becomes unusually floppy, cannot feed, or has repeated forceful vomiting. Contact a clinician if hiccups are persistent, interfere with sleep or feeding, or occur with poor weight gain, fever, blood in vomit, or marked discomfort. [Gastritis](/conditions/gastritis/) is not diagnosed from hiccups alone, so other symptoms should be assessed rather than treated at home.

Ask whether the feeding pattern, bottle flow, or position could be contributing; which signs suggest reflux; and whether the baby needs an examination. Share the baby’s feeding amounts, wet nappies, vomiting pattern, and any breathing changes.