Not able to soothe your little one’s hiccup after a long session of crying? A hiccupping baby is one thing that worries many parents, but there is usually not a lot they can do to help cure it. A baby with hiccups after crying is no different from a baby who starts hiccupping randomly.
Hiccups are caused by an irritated diaphragm which is noticed in infants and babies when they get upset (includes crying) or eat and drink too fast. Frequent crying (called colic) occurs in 15% of babies, which is another reason they start hiccupping. But hiccups usually last for 2-3 minutes, if prolonged, can be termed problematic like, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) or baby heartburn.
Just as stress and anxiety, crying is also a strong emotion. Sometimes, when your little one frequently cries for a long time, it causes irritation to their diaphragm, causing them to start hiccupping.
Why my baby hiccups
When your baby eats or drinks too fast, it can result in their belly expanding too quickly, which irritates their diaphragm. The same goes for feeling a strong emotion, such as crying.
As the diaphragm gets irritated, it starts to spasm, and vocal cords snap shut, causing the hiccupping sound you hear from your baby. It is usual for your baby to hiccup, and there is nothing to worry about.
These hiccups usually last anywhere from 2 to 4 minutes. After which, they disappear on their own.
What is Colic
Frequent and prolonged, intense crying or fussiness is called colic. There is no apparent cause detected for it, but they usually last for 3-4 months in a newborn and decline slowly.
Symptoms include:
- There is extreme fussiness even after your baby has cried for hours
- Crying due to no reason
- There must be a pattern in when they repeat this
- A lot of body tension in baby
- Paler skin than usual
This is also a strong and extreme emotion. If your baby has these visible symptoms, you should see your doctor and consult them.
Colic will also lead to a lot of hiccuping in your baby.
Why my baby hiccups for a long time
There are cases when you notice even after some time, and your baby hasn’t stopped hiccupping.
If this has happened once or twice, it’s okay not to be too worried about it. But if you see a pattern forming of longer hiccups in your little one, then it might be a reason to worry and visit your pediatrician.
If you see your child is constantly hiccupping and hasn’t stopped for a long time, then they might have some medical issues which need to be treated.
GER (gastroesophageal reflux)
Reflux is a related common cause of those longer hiccups you see in your baby, but with hiccups, you will also notice other symptoms for it to be GER. Symptoms include irritability, poor weight gain, difficulty in breathing, consistent spit-up or vomiting.
How to reduce hiccups in your crying baby
It is heartbreaking for every parent to see their child cry. And if you see them hiccupping after, it becomes more concerning. But there are always ways to soothe your child after they are done crying but start hiccupping.
Focus on breathing
When your baby experiences a hiccup after crying, it is caused mainly due to the intense emotion they just experienced. So, try holding them close to your body and do some breathing exercises with them.
When you hold them close, try to make them focus on their breathing. Take deep breaths with them and then exhale with them.
Tickling your baby
Tickling your baby is another simple way to help them stop hiccuping.
Just gently tickling them can make them divert their attention and successfully stopping their hiccups. But you have to see not to go overboard while doing so, as it can cause breathlessness in them quite easily.
Cold water
Sometimes simply making your little one drink a small amount of cold water can help them calm down. But do not follow this tip if they are in any way sick, have a sore throat, etc.
Slight pressure on stomach
You can also use this practice of laying down your baby on their back and slightly pressing their upper stomach, where the diaphragm is located. Do it in rhythm with their hiccups and notice if they calm down after a while.
Burping your baby
While you are bottle feeding or breastfeeding your baby, burping them in 30 minutes of an interval can reduce the chances of their hiccupping. It might help you in situations just like a hiccupping baby after crying if you make it a routine.
Rubbing baby’s back
Yet another simple way to soothe your hiccupping baby is to hold them in an upright position in your arms and start rubbing their back gently, over and over. Doing this will help them calm down their emotions and reduce their hiccupping after a while.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do you stop a baby’s hiccups after crying?
You can do several things for a hiccupping baby to soothe them, like rubbing their back, focusing on breathing, making them drink cold water, etc. But to naturally decrease the chances of hiccupping in them, you should make sure to burp them often in between feeding, ensure the correct feeding position, make sure they don’t eat or drink anything too fast.
Can a baby get hurt from crying too much?
Apart from a little swollen face and sore throat, there is not much to worry about a crying baby. Crying is good for them to let out their pent-up emotions, just as adults do, and as long as it’s not colic, you needn’t worry about them crying.
What are sobbing spasms?
Sobbing is something that occurs in babies after they have cried a lot in the extreme, even for a short time. There is nothing wrong with sobbing if it lasts for some time. It mainly occurs because of a diaphragmatic spasm at the moment of the inspiration with the simultaneous glottic closure, followed by a characteristic noise.
Does crying cause hiccups?
Crying is a strong emotion that can cause a baby to hiccup. A baby can start hiccupping due to coughing or even crying, and it is completely normal for them to do so.
How long do crying hiccups last?
Any hiccups, be it after crying or just random during the day, are bound to last for 2-4 minutes and then disappear on their own. If your notice your baby is hiccupping for a longer duration and frequency, you should consult your pediatrician for it.
Final thoughts
A hiccupping baby after crying is no different from a random hiccupping baby. Hiccups can be caused due to a lot of air that gets in while eating or drinking something too fast. It can even occur after experiencing a strong emotion, such as crying.
If you notice your baby is experiencing longer hiccups and frequent in nature, it might be due to some medical issues, such as GER (gastroesophageal reflux). Another reason for hiccupping might also lie in the fact that your little one might be crying for hours, which can also be a cause of colic.
Although there is no tip set in stone to completely stop your baby from hiccupping, you can use some tips to soothe them if they experience hiccups after crying. You can rub their back, given them cold water, help them breathe deeply, and such other tips might be useful.
Just remember, hiccups are a natural thing for your baby to experience. You need not worry as newborns especially are bound to experience more hiccupping in the beginning.