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Medically, hiccups are a manifestation of sudden diaphragmatic contractions caused due to irritation or stimulation of the diaphragmatic nerves. Most of the times, hiccups are absolutely harmless. If it is very frequent or persistent, then they may be pathological.
Practically they can occur during feeding, consumption of large quantity of food quickly, consumption of spicy, hot or salty foods, etc. So many a times, a simple modification of the feeding behavior can decrease hiccups. Try to do the following:
1. Allow the child to chew the food adequately before the next spoon of food.
2. Give smaller amount per spoon or bite.
3. Provide smaller feed quantities but increase the frequency of feeding. Example: Instead of 3 large meals a day, make it 5-6 small feeds once every 4-6 hours.
4. Make the food less spicy, hot or salty.
5. Do not allow the baby to ingest water or breast milk immediately before or after solid feeds as this would dilute the gastric acid and delay digestion as well as clearance of food from stomach.
If none of these measures help, get your child evaluated for GASTRO-ESOPHAGEAL REFLUX. You may need to get your child evaluated once by a pediatric gastroenterologist for that. He or she ll prescribe the necessary tests.
Regards
Dr. Saptharishi L G