What should you know about newborn got hiccups?

The diaphragm is the breathing muscle beneath the lungs. A sudden involuntary tightening, followed by closure at the voice box, makes the familiar sound. A baby may hiccup after swallowing air, feeding quickly, taking a large feed, or becoming unsettled. Hiccups alone do not show that your baby has a stomach disease.

Notice whether your baby remains settled, breathes normally, feeds well, and has usual wet nappies. Hiccups can occur in healthy babies, including during sleep, and often stop without intervention.

Pause a feed if hiccups interrupt sucking, hold your baby upright with the head supported, and allow a calm burp. Resume feeding only when your baby seems comfortable. Smaller, slower feeds and a more upright feeding position may reduce swallowed air; follow safe feeding advice for your baby’s age and feeding method.

Do not frighten, startle, shake, offer water, or use home remedies. Never put anything in a newborn’s mouth to stop a hiccup. Keep sleep safe: place your baby flat on the back in a clear cot, even when hiccups happen.

Seek urgent help if your baby struggles to breathe, turns blue or grey, becomes unusually floppy, cannot feed, or is difficult to wake. Contact a clinician promptly if hiccups repeatedly occur with forceful vomiting, green vomit, a swollen abdomen, fever, poor feeding, or fewer wet nappies.

If the episodes are frequent and your baby seems uncomfortable, keep a brief record of feeds, spit-up, crying, and sleep to share with a paediatric clinician. Hiccups with feeding difficulty may need assessment for reflux or another problem.

Ask whether your baby’s feeding position, latch, bottle teat, or burping routine could be contributing. You can also ask which signs would suggest reflux, whether the feeding pattern is appropriate, and how to respond if hiccups occur with vomiting or distress.