Newborn with Hiccups

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, as I am a day late in responding....but I used Gripe water (per my pediatrician)since my daughter (now 8 mos)had hiccups and constant spit up issues....it worked very well and she outgrew both around 5-6 months. I found it both at local Walgreens stores and online.....good luck-L.

This is definitely reflux. The classic sign of reflux is spit up, and hiccups are another clear sign of reflux.

I would take him to the doctor and get him evaluated. It may be, that as long as he is happy and gaining weight OK, that he doesn't need any treatment. But if not, there are medicines that are safe to use.

Here's a good website on infant reflux:
http://www.infantreflux.org/

Hi A., my 6 month old daughter used to get the hiccups like clockwork herself, and it started when I was pregnant. My pediatrician said if they get hiccups while they are feeding, to keep feeding them and that should settle their diaphram, which did seem to work. I would still consult your pediatrician though if you haven't already, just in case it might be something else like others have mentioned. You are right, spitting up and actually vomiting are two different things. Good luck with your little one! J.

When I was breastfeeding my daughter would do the same thing. The doctor told me it is because they are getting the milk to fast. I had to pump out some of the milk before each feeding and this solved the problem. Check the hole in the nipple and make sure the milk is not coming out to fast. When the milk comes out to fast they gulp, therefore letting air into their tummies and giving them hiccups. Then the trama of the hiccups cause the vomiting. If this doesn't help I would call the doctor and ask advice or call ask a nurse.

It could be that he has acid reflux. My son had similar issues when he was 3 months. The pediatritian put him on medication for reflux and it slowed down the vomiting. They kept telling me to change formula thinking he had a sensitivity to formula. That may have been true if I hadn't been nursing. As he got older, we had him tested at 3 years old for reflux at St Joe Hospital and he tested positive but mild. He knows what kind of food to avoid now.

My daughter had hiccups on a daily basis as well. My mom told me to give her a couple sips of water from her bottle. It did make the hiccups go away. Maybe your baby vomits because the hiccups upset him. You are not supposed to give your baby water because it curbs their hunger but a few sips now and then won't hurt. My daughter is a very happy 19 lb girl ( at 6 months! ).

Have you ever tried Gripe Water? My pediatrician recommended it to me. It helps with alot of symptoms.
R. S

I took my son to a holistic doctor and she asked me whether he had hiccups. I gathered from the questions she asked that the formula could have been causing that. Have you tried different formulas? Maybe he has some sort of allergy or just aversion toward a particular brand. For example, both my son and my daughter didn't do well with Nestle Good Start. They both did better with Enfamil than Similac too.
Good luck!

Hi A..

You should try Gripe water. I love this stuff! I know they sell it at Babies R Us. It's made by Little Remedies. I think it's all natural but don't quote me on it. My second born had the hiccups at least 2 times a day and as soon as she swallowed the gripe water the hiccups were gone. Gripe water is like a miracle in a bottle. I hope it works for your little boy. Good luck!!

I have experienced this with my daughter. She had/still has hiccups a lot (even in the womb) and vomited a lot more than the usual spit up as well. She was colicky and had a gag reflex when laying down and they diagnosed her with GERD (acid reflux) where the flap between the stomach & esophagus isn't fully developed yet (very common) and so the food doesn't stay down in the stomach. One of the signs of this is hiccups and the other is vomiting. You're right to try to always keep him upright and not moving too much. Also, get a wedge for sleeping (we unfortunately had it so bad that we ended up sleeping with her propped up on our shoulders on the couch for a while but that's not recommended). Anyway, check out GERD online and talk to your pediatrician. They can't cure it, as the flap just develops with time (mine has now that she's one years old). But what they can do is give them an antacid so that they're not uncomfortable with the vomiting and they don't damage their esophagus with the acid. Zantac is the first thing they'll try and it didn't work for us (or others I talked to) but I guess it does work for some. We ended up going with Prilosec and it worked well for controlling her acid. Also, try putting rice cereal in his bottles to weigh it down, which helps keep it down. Once he starts eating baby food, it'll help keep more down as well - they started her eating as early as possible @ 4 mo. to help and it did. I still put rice cereal in her bottles (although she just turned one and now I have to try milk). The other thing to check out is an allergy to milk or formula. My baby was colicky though and had a lot of gas, so we ended up switching from Good Start to Nutramigen, which breaks down the milk proteins for them. Good Start does too, but Nutramigen must do it more, as it costs twice as much. Hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions. I hope the vomiting gets controlled or at least you get some meds or answers. Take care!

Have you talked with your Doctor or nurse about this?
I am wondering about allergies.

S.

Hi A.. I have twin 4 month old boys and they both hiccup- all the time! I found something that helps out. Wet a pacifier and dip it in sugar and give it to your son to suck on. This helps my boys- most of the time. I didn't get this advice from a Dr.- it's a home remedy that my husbands grandmother told me about. I was worried about the sugar but it has no effect on them- except for helping get rid of the hiccups. The vomiting part I haven't associated with the hiccups but one of my boys had issues with the spitting up/vomiting almost from the beginning. It was so bad that I'm sure we cleaned up more formula then he consumed for quite some time. Our Dr. told us to put a little bit of baby cereal in each bottle to thicken it up a little- it helps weigh the milk/formula down. It truly does work! My little guy has since been diagnosed with severe acid reflux and is on 2 prescriptions that help - but we still thicken his formula with every bottle. Give it a try. I hope this helps :)

Gripe Water is an herbal liquid that is about $10 at Babies R Us and other places (made by Little Tummies)--it is for colic & gas, but also supposed to be great for ridding of hiccups.

My son had the same problem when he was a baby and what I did was feed him half of the bottle then burp him and give him the rest, that worked for him. Try that and see if it work for you I know how you feel. Good Luck!

C. W

It sounds like GERD (acid reflux) to me all of our sons had/have it. Our oldest had it the worst. He had apnea and strider so at 3days old he was put on meds. Our other two we chose not to medicate.

If the baby sounds hoarse after the vomitting or like he's struggling to breathe, he might need to be medicated or seen by an accupuncturist.

My cousin swears by chiropracting, her husabnd is an astounding chiro, but once you start that course of action, you are going to need it for life.

Opting for the meds you can use it for a few months, just to give the baby a break from the vomitting and allow the throat to heal. With meds though the side effects are real and not easy to deal with. But Our son had it so severe the He had to do them side effects and all for four months be fore I weaned him off.

With the accupuncture it allows the body to better regulate the amount of stomach acids. No side effects. Life lond habitual use not necessary either.

You could also get a reflexology book for the library or a borders, etc. I can't remember the exact position, it's something like . . . go to the third rib on the infant's right side, go to the right two fingerwidths, and massage in clockwise circular motion. But I'm a bit rusty on it so look it up first. It helped with our second son.

All three boys of ours hiccup for 24-48hrs straight everytime they have a growth spurt! For them it's become a fun thing to know that when they start hiccuping uncontrolably that in a day or so they'll be taller!

Gerd can be around for life but it doesn't have to be the end of fun.

Have you called your pediatrician? My son always had the hiccups, 3-4 times a day, but never vomited. It may be just something he will out grow. My nephew has spit up/thrown up since birth and they have tried everything. They never really found anything that helped. Their doctor didn't seem that concerned because it didn't seem to bother him. No crying/screaming/signs of discomfort after vomiting. He's about to turn one now and it has just recently worked itself out. I would call the doctor, keep note on whether or not he seems bothered by the vomiting and if he is continuing to gain weight. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Hi A.,

My son had hiccups a lot with vomit as well. He was diagnosed with GERD at 5 weeks. It make take a few more weeks to get a diagnosis, but finding it early can prevent a lot of pain in the future. Keep an eye on it and consult your doctor if your baby seems to be in pain or not gaining weight.

They do grow out of it, but sometimes it takes a while. We are now down to spitting up 2-3 times a day down from 8-10 in the first 10 months.

My son got (actually still gets) the hiccups all of the time, I am not sure if it caused him to vomit because he threw up so often! I don't have real advice other than to tell you not to worry & that it is common. As he ages, you may find some things that "cause" them (Jack gets them whenever he laughs hysterically) so, we luckily have them often :)

Is this the only time your son vomits? I used Little tummies Gripe water (awesome!), a Hotsling (also awesome :) and a papasan to keep him upright (for reflux)... hope this helps a little!

I have a lot of experience with reflux in newborns. All three of my children have had it. Hiccups and projectile vomiting are both symptoms of reflux. However, hiccups are very normal in babies and apparently harmless AND projectile vomiting can be caused by other things as well (like a symptom of sickness, such as an ear infection). Soooooo...don't just assume it's reflux. Talk to your pediatrician for sure. If it is reflux and your son is not upset by the vomiting, there is nothing for you to worry about or do. Just get better at anticipating the vomit and getting him over the sink (I'm laughing to myself as I type this, but I'm serious! The lingo in our house was, "He's going to launch.") If he screams after vomiting, then your pediatrician can help you find the best medicine to help him so he's not in pain. The good news is, they eventually grow out of the projectile vomiting and you learn to avoid it whenever possible. An upright position without his tummy being crunched helped my son (a standing position, more or less). The best thing was the bouncy seat...it was the perfect angle for him to be at ease. He literally spent all his time in the bouncy seat, including sleeping in there, for months. Laying flat agrivated the reflux and made him projectile vomit. Good luck and remember...it's just vomit, not something much worse, and you will get through it just fine. Keep a spit up cloth or two on hand at every place in the house where you tend to sit with him and in the carseat. And use white vinegar on your furniture/carpet to clean up the messes without leaving a milk odor. It smells bad temporarily, but dried milk smells bad forever. Enjoy your baby moments! Melissa OB