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During pregnancy, the unborn child turns from a single-celled creature into a full-fledged organism whose heart beats independently, food is digested, urine is formed, and the brain functions. Already at the age of 7 weeks, the fetus makes chaotic movements with its arms in response to stimuli. At the 10th week of pregnancy, these movements become reflexive in nature, and at 18-20 weeks the expectant mother can feel fetal movements.

From about 20 weeks of pregnancy it improves nervous system fetus - he begins to suck his finger, frown, smile. A little later, the child develops a reflex that is inherent in every adult - hiccups, which the expectant mother can feel.

Signs of hiccups in an unborn child

Hiccups are rhythmic contractions of the muscle that separates the pectoral and abdominal cavity– diaphragm. Usually, an expectant mother begins to feel hiccups in her unborn baby from the third trimester, but for some it happens earlier.

Normally, a child should hiccup about 1-3 times a day, for a short time, while the mother should not develop any extraneous symptoms or change the fetal movements.

You can detect hiccups in a child by short, rhythmic tremors in the uterine area. In this case, a pregnant woman should not experience pain. Usually a baby's hiccups last about 5-10 minutes, but sometimes this process drags on for several hours. Some children do not hiccup at all throughout pregnancy.

Causes of hiccups

A child often hiccups in the womb under the influence of physiological factors:

Swallowing amniotic fluid. When an excessive amount of amniotic fluid enters, a reflex contraction of the diaphragm is caused in the body of the unborn child. This happens in order to remove excess liquid.
Thumb sucking. As a result of this process, the child often hiccups in the womb due to a reflex contraction of the respiratory muscles.
Yawn. As the nervous system develops, the unborn child may begin to yawn, which provokes the development of contraction of the diaphragmatic muscles.
Preparing for independent breathing. The baby “rehearses” breathing movements and the swallowing reflex, in which the diaphragm is involved.
There is an assumption that Fetal hiccups are caused by a certain diet of the mother, especially when consumed large quantity sweets. Sugars enter the amniotic fluid, and the unborn baby tries to swallow it in larger quantities than normal, and this contributes to the appearance of hiccups.

There is also a pathological reason why a child often hiccups in the womb - hypoxia (lack of oxygen) of the fetus. With oxygen starvation, reflex excitation of the nerve centers responsible for contractions of the diaphragm occurs, and, as a result, hiccups. In a state of hypoxia, accompanying symptoms are detected - excessive fetal movements, or their decrease. Rarely does the mother feel unwell: weakness, pale skin, chills.

Actions to take if a child has hiccups

When a child hiccups every day in the womb, but it does not happen more than 3 times a day, does not last more than half an hour and is not accompanied by pathological symptoms, there is no reason to worry. Most likely, the baby will simply learn the world, learns to breathe and swallow independently.

If a child often hiccups in the womb (4 or more times a day), contractions of the diaphragm continue for several hours, then there is an indication for diagnosing the reasons that caused this process. In cases where fetal hiccups are accompanied by a feeling of discomfort in the mother, and even more so by a deterioration in well-being, examination by a specialist is required, since pathological contractions of the diaphragmatic muscles may be a manifestation of hypoxia.

If there is a suspicion of a lack of oxygen in the fetus, CTG (cardiotocography) is performed. This method allows you to visualize the work of the unborn child’s heart, which begins to speed up or slow down in response to hypoxia.

Another method that allows you to assess the intrauterine condition of the fetus is Doppler ultrasound or Doppler ultrasound. This examination allows you to assess the uteroplacental blood flow and the condition of the umbilical cord. With hypoxia, the vascular network in the child’s membranes suffers, or a pathology of the blood supply is observed in the umbilical vein or artery.

In the absence of hypoxia, no treatment is required, however, if a woman is bothered by hiccups of the unborn child, especially at night, there are several rules that will help reduce the activity of the fetal diaphragmatic muscles:

go for walks more often fresh air;
review your diet, especially pay attention to reducing the amount of carbohydrate-rich foods you consume;
Sometimes gentle stroking of the tummy helps with the baby’s hiccups;
If you have insomnia due to hiccups in your unborn child, you can try changing your body position. Effective poses are considered to be lying on your side and knee-elbow.

Pregnancy is a wonderful time for any woman, but at the same time, along with the joy of a pregnant woman, anxiety about the condition of the unborn child instinctively grows with each subsequent month. Some mothers, even despite the positive results of all examinations and tests, continue to worry about how the child feels in the womb. One of these unreasonable fears is concern about the condition of the baby when the fetus hiccups in the stomach.

How to recognize that your baby is hiccupping?

Quite often, especially in the last stages of pregnancy, the expectant mother begins to feel periodic rhythmic tremors occurring at regular intervals. Such manifestations are unlike the child’s usual activity. But this is not a cause for concern, because it may indicate that the baby is hiccupping in the stomach.

The manifestation of hiccups is proof that the embryo is already sufficiently developed to perform reflex actions, which include hiccups, characteristic of a normal adult. The manifestation of this reflex is evidence that the lungs of the unborn baby and the diaphragm are already preparing for the birth process, when the little person will have to breathe on his own.

If we talk about the time when a child hiccups in the womb, then in each specific case this can happen at different weeks of pregnancy. In some situations, this begins at 24 weeks; some women begin to realize that the fetus began to hiccup at 32 weeks.

How can you tell if your baby is hiccupping in his stomach? Very simple.

Hiccups are manifested by rhythmic tremors of the fetus inside the abdomen, which are concentrated in the part where the baby’s head and shoulders are located.

You should not worry too much about this, because hiccups in a child are not a sign of a violation of his normal development, but only serve as an indicator of the formation of his nervous and respiratory systems.

Most women who have given birth to children point to the following signs that help determine that the baby has begun to hiccup in the womb:

rhythmic twitching of the fetus, concentrated in one specific place in the abdomen;
tremors of equal frequency and amplitude, continuing for a long time;
feeling of a clock ticking inside the abdomen;
feeling of monotonous knocking;
palpable throbbing in the lower abdomen, which can be felt on the left or right side, which depends on the position of the child in the womb;
spasms or twitching of the abdomen of equal strength;
application of the hand allows you to feel weak vibrations in the place where the twitching is most clearly felt.

In this case, the baby’s hiccups in the womb can have a different duration. Some children tend to calm down after a few minutes; for some, this process can last for an hour. If your child hiccups, do not immediately sound the alarm. It is necessary to understand the reasons for this phenomenon.

Causes of the phenomenon

You should know that hiccups are a completely normal reaction of the body to irritation of the respiratory tract. Some friends or relatives may say that they have never encountered such a phenomenon and do not know whether children hiccup, but this should not be a cause for concern, and you should not try to convince them otherwise. Not every woman is able to recognize when a baby hiccups in the stomach during pregnancy, which depends on the build of the woman in labor, the location of the fetus, the condition of the placenta and simply the woman’s sensitivity. Every child performs a similar action while inside the mother's belly, but not every mother is able to understand this. Therefore, you should be proud and rejoice at the fact that there is another chance of tactile unity with the future baby during pregnancy.

The reasons for the impossibility of determining whether a baby is having hiccups may be as follows:

increased pain threshold of a pregnant woman. When sensitivity decreases, a woman sometimes simply cannot recognize the movements made by the baby inside the abdomen;
layer of subcutaneous fat deposits. In the presence of fullness caused by a layer of fat under the skin, a pregnant woman may simply not feel the weak tremors indicating hiccups, which will be softened by fat deposits in the abdominal area;
location of the placenta. Sometimes the placenta may be located on the front wall of the uterus. With such an arrangement, the process of the onset of hiccups occurs a little later and does not manifest itself with such obvious manifestations, which does not always make it possible to reliably determine the presence of this reflex.

There is no consensus among doctors why a child hiccups in the stomach. Official medicine does not comment on this matter, because until now there have been no serious studies of this fact. If during an ultrasound examination or during Doppler testing the child begins to hiccup, then the expectant mother can see for herself that during the process of reflex contractions there is no disturbance in the heart rhythm or frequency of muscle contractions, which is evidence of the absence of discomfort for the baby.

The main reasons why a child often hiccups in the stomach are considered to be the following:

The almost fully formed nervous system begins to control the processes of breathing and swallowing by the child inside the womb.
There is a gradual process of the beginning of normal functioning of the lungs and the entire respiratory system, which can serve as evidence of the normal development of the embryo.
Such actions on the part of an unborn baby are his first attempts to start breathing on his own. A swallowing reflex is also developed, which in the future, after birth, will allow the baby to actively and greedily suckle at the breast. In parallel with the emergence of the ability to swallow, the ability to hold one’s breath develops, which is useful during breastfeeding.
During breathing, the child swallows a certain amount of amniotic fluid, which enters the lungs.

This is a completely normal and natural phenomenon, since the fetus is surrounded by liquid throughout pregnancy, which is not only a nutrient medium for it, but also performs protective functions. Usually, liquid that gets inside the baby's lungs is excreted naturally in the form of urine.

If the penetrating amount of amniotic fluid exceeds the normal capacity of the small body, the child begins to hiccup. This is caused by a protective reflex on the part of the diaphragm, which begins to contract, which leads to the manifestation of this phenomenon.

In some cases, the mother's diet may be the reason why the baby hiccups in the stomach.

This is especially true for a pregnant woman’s frequent consumption of sweets. The composition of amniotic fluid changes, which also acquires sweetness and becomes the first delicacy available to the baby, who begins to swallow the pleasant-tasting liquid with great pleasure.

The child exhibits hypoxia.

If a child hiccups in the womb, the reason may be hidden in hypoxia or oxygen starvation of the fetus. However, making this diagnosis does not rely solely on reflex contractions of the diaphragm. With insufficient oxygen supply, the unborn baby begins to behave more actively, which is his attempts to find an additional source of vital gas.

Uncomfortable position of the baby's body.

Sometimes a mother can take a position in which increased physical pressure, felt by the fetus, begins to be exerted on the child, even despite a fairly thick layer of amniotic fluid and the wall of the amniotic sac. This leads to difficulties in the functioning of the digestive system and deformation of the respiratory organs, which leads to difficulties in the natural release of air from the lungs.

This reason most often occurs in the later stages, when the baby is already quite large and does not have enough free space inside the mother’s abdomen. Also, the child begins to hiccup if the mother has the habit of sitting, mostly bending forward, or wears a bandage belt or tight underwear, which can cause compression of the fetus at night.

Cases when you need to see a doctor

As already noted, if a child starts to hiccup in his mother’s belly, then there is nothing wrong with this and this is quite natural. Such a statement will be valid only for cases when hiccups occur with a certain frequency and do not cause the mother any trouble or discomfort. But sometimes situations arise when the baby begins to hiccup constantly, almost continuously, which may be a reason to contact the treating gynecologist. When should you be wary?

cases of hiccups are observed every day, and it does not stop for a long time;
with hiccups, there is an increase in the baby’s motor activity or its complete cessation;
there is a change in the usual shape of the abdomen or it becomes smaller in size;
The pregnant woman’s weight gain stops or even decreases. Except for the last two weeks of pregnancy, when slight weight loss is normal.

If these symptoms are present, gynecologists advise not to postpone a visit to the doctor, since they all indicate possible fetal hypoxia, which negatively affects the baby’s development process. Timely assistance can avoid consequences and normalize the oxygen supply to the fetus.

The doctor first conducts a consultation and external examination and may subsequently prescribe a number of examinations:

CTG or cardiotocography. This procedure is aimed at determining the frequency of contraction of the heart muscle. Using the method makes it possible to describe and record the slightest changes in heart rate, which will help determine developing hypoxia;
Ultrasound examination combined with a Doppler procedure. This method allows a specialist to determine the state of the circulatory system in the walls of the placenta. When blood flow is reduced, there is a high risk of oxygen starvation.

The use of both methods does not harm the baby in any way, and they are safe for expectant mother and a child. The study is recommended for women who, during pregnancy, feel that the child often hiccups, or notice an increase in its movement inside the abdomen.

Necessary measures

If the baby does not calm down for a long time, then it is recommended to go out into the fresh air, which will have a beneficial effect not only on the child, but will also be useful for the mother;
When you are at home, you can carry out a small complex physical exercise. It’s very good if you have a special massage ball at home that will allow you to do light fitness;
Another way to calm a child who gets into hiccups is to change his body position;
Also among the recommendations that can help the baby stop hiccups is the mother adopting a knee-elbow position, which must be fixed for a while;
Mom should reconsider her diet and try to eat less sweets, especially in the evening before bed. Amniotic fluid that has become less sweet will no longer attract the baby so much with its pleasant taste, which will lead to less fluid being swallowed;
You can buy an oxygen cocktail at your nearest pharmacy and drink it at home. This will create an influx of oxygen, which will become a kind of sedative for the child;
Another reason leading to a baby’s hiccups in the womb may be a drop in temperature, and this reflex will indicate that the fetus is simply frozen. If you suspect this, you should cover your stomach with a blanket or wrap yourself in a warm blanket. home bathrobe. Also, in the future, it is always necessary to monitor the temperature of the surrounding air and in the room, since hypothermia can lead to the onset of contraction of the embryo’s diaphragm;
Avoiding being in places where there may be large amounts of tobacco smoke. Smoking is poison. This statement is familiar to every person, but for a small child it is almost disastrous. Therefore, if relatives smoke, it should be prohibited to do so in the presence of a pregnant woman, and the mother herself is strongly advised to give up the bad habit;
Compliance with the principles of correct and healthy eating. A very important point during pregnancy is to observe the correct and balanced nutrition, which will not only be the key to maintaining a pregnant woman’s body in good shape, but will also provide the fetus with all the necessary useful substances and microelements.
Eating “junk food” can cause the development of gestosis, known as late toxicosis, which, as it progresses, leads to hypoxia;
The last effective advice is to conduct a special breathing exercises. It is recommended to inhale and exhale while counting. You need to inhale deeply on the count of 6, and exhale after 10.

The main advice will be affection and tenderness towards the unborn baby. A child in the mother’s womb is very sensitive to the surrounding reality and is able to understand the mother’s mood. Therefore, it is necessary to talk to your “stomach” and stroke it as often as possible, which will help calm the baby.

Conclusion

To summarize, we can draw several important conclusions regarding the contraction of the diaphragm of the unborn baby or hiccups:

A sign of fetal hiccups is the appearance of a sensation of measured tapping or twitching in the abdomen with a certain frequency;
The duration of hiccups is different for each child and cannot be a reason for contacting a specialist or panic;
Determining the possibility of hypoxia or oxygen starvation of the fetus is carried out using CTG, ultrasound and Doppler measurements;
The reason leading to the reflex contraction of the diaphragm is the beginning of active respiratory activity of the fetus and the emergence of the ability to swallow;
To calm yourself and your child, it is best to take a walk, try to change your position and review your diet;
It should be remembered that the hiccups of a child in the womb are a natural process and there is no need to sound the alarm by trying to run around the surrounding pharmacies in search of medicines.
The conducted studies have proven that fetal hiccups are a natural process associated with its formation and the beginning of the functioning of the main body systems. In this case, the reflex contraction of the diaphragm in no way affects the increase in pressure on the lungs or internal organs. Hiccups are normal.

Women understand that the baby is hiccupping in the stomach during pregnancy when they feel subtle tremors inside themselves. At the same time, their stomach seems to shudder and pulsate. If you put your hand on it, it will become clear that the problem is not muscle contractions or the tone of the uterus, but hiccups.

If this condition occurs rarely, doctors consider it normal and safe. It does not indicate the presence of diseases and is in no way related to the threat of miscarriage. Too frequent hiccups, combined with increased fetal mobility, on the contrary, may indicate hypoxia. Let's take a closer look at why the fetus hiccups in the womb and when urgent medical attention is needed.

Why does the baby hiccup in the stomach - a question that worries many women

Today there is no clear answer to the question of why a child hiccups in the womb. There are different theories that interpret this phenomenon. Here are the most popular ones:

The fetal nervous system is actively maturing. Hiccups are contractions of the diaphragm. It can begin due to pinching of the vagus nerve, which connects internal organs. Then the brain receives a signal about a problem that has arisen. To solve it, the brain transmits a response signal that activates rhythmic contractions of the diaphragm. As a result, the nerve is released. It turns out that if a baby hiccups during pregnancy, we can assume that his nervous system is practically formed and can already control certain muscles and organs;
The fetus is preparing to breathe on its own. During hiccups, both the diaphragm and the lungs are trained, so some scientists believe that hiccups are a process of preparation for taking the first independent breath;
The baby swallows amniotic fluid. While in the womb, the fetus constantly swallows amniotic fluid, which is excreted from the body along with urine. If he swallows more liquid than his body can process, hiccups begin, which helps get rid of the excess;
the child hiccups in the stomach if the mother eats a lot of sweets. When you eat a lot of sweets, the taste of the amniotic fluid changes. The child begins to like it more, which is why he swallows water more actively. To remove the excess, hiccups begin.

Another theory explaining why a baby often hiccups in the womb in the second or third trimester of pregnancy is hypoxia. To compensate for the lack of oxygen, the fetus begins to reflexively hiccup.

It is important to understand that hiccups in themselves are not a sign of oxygen starvation. But if at the same time there is increased activity of the baby, the woman should consult a gynecologist and undergo laboratory tests.

Diagnostics

If hypoxia is suspected, a pregnant woman is prescribed an examination. It includes:

blood and urine tests;
Ultrasound with Doppler;
cardiotocogram.

These studies are safe. They allow you to study the baby’s heart rate, blood flow in the vessels of the placenta, and trace motor activity baby. If the test results are unsatisfactory, a diagnosis of hypoxia is made, and the pregnant woman is prescribed medications to treat the child’s oxygen starvation (vitamins, Curantyl, Essentiale Forte, etc.). In some situations, if the fetus is full term and the selected drug therapy is low, an emergency caesarean section is performed.

If fetal hiccups bother a pregnant woman

If the baby hiccups very often in the stomach, the mother cannot rest or sleep properly. Her constantly shrinking belly prevents her from relaxing and does not allow her to concentrate on the work at hand.

In this case, you need to undergo an examination. If the suspicion of hypoxia is not confirmed, you can “fight” hiccups as follows:

walk in the fresh air more often;
change body posture (stand up, start walking, sit down, roll over to the other side);
take a knee-elbow position for a few minutes;
eat less sweets (especially in the evening);
drink oxygen cocktails;
dress warmer;
do breathing exercises.

Some women relieve their baby of hiccups by gently stroking the belly and talking to the baby.