Pregnancy Hiccups
Pregnancy and Hiccups - What They Mean and What You Should Do About Them
Hiccups at any time can be aggravating, but pregnancy and hiccups seem to go hand in hand. Even though they are not necessarily a symptom of pregnancy, or even a common complaint, it does appear that women are more susceptible to getting them while they are pregnant. So what causes pregnancy and hiccups and how can you control them?
When you are pregnant, you can expect your lungs to inhale and exhale nearly 40% more air than they usually do with each breath. You might even find that your breath is a little quicker than normal and that you often experience a shortness of breath. This can cause the hiccups to form.
You can also get hiccups from acid reflux, which tends to be stronger during pregnancy. The acid reflux can also result in the heartburn that you might be feeling, too. Although you might not necessarily feel the acid, the reflux can still cause the hiccups.
Sometimes, swallowing liquid too quickly or getting stressed can cause hiccups to occur. Although there are many home remedies that exist for dealing with hiccups, from holding your breath and counting to 10 to eating a spoonful of sugar, oftentimes the best remedy is to simply ignore the hiccups. Sometimes, the worst thing you can do it pay too much attention to the hiccups because that makes you more aware of them. If you stress about the hiccups, and how long they have been going on, they are likely to last even longer.
One thing that you can try is taking long, slow sips of something. Focus on taking steady, even drinks and swallowing them completely before taking the next one. This can sometimes help get your breathing back on track.
There are such things as chronic hiccups, although these are very rare and only few people ever develop them. If you find, however, that your hiccups last for more than 12 hours and that you are having difficulty breathing properly with them, then you should visit your doctor. You might have a throat irritation that is causing them.
Rest assured that you are not the only one having the hiccups, either. In fact, your baby will also get them from time to time. Fetal hiccups can start at 6 weeks and can sometimes last as long as 30 minutes at a time. You probably won't be able to feel them until you are further along, however.
Nobody is really sure why babies hiccup when they are still in the womb. Some scientists think it is because it helps them gain some of the motor patterns that will help when it comes to nursing and swallowing later. Other researchers think that it might help them strengthen their diaphragm muscles and that it prepares them for breathing on down the road.
One thing is for sure-although they might be uncomfortable, having hiccups do not hurt either you or your baby. In fact, you can even use your baby's fetal hiccups to monitor their movement, much like fetal kick counts. If your baby is hiccupping, then you know that everything is okay in his world and that he is still developing.
If you feel your baby hiccupping inside the womb, just sit back and enjoy the sensation. It's just another sign of being pregnant, although kind of a humorous one when you think about it. Although it might be difficult to imagine, your baby is already living a small life inside of you and has been sucking his thumb, moving around, and even yawning for some time now.