Their diaphragms are very immature, and things are a bit crowded in the tummy, to start off with.
The diaphragm is a muscle that literally causes the lungs to inflate and deflate (delfation is the resting state).
Like any muscle it can go into slight spasms.
Immature muscles of the body are most prone to being unreliable. But breathing is very important, and the physiological mandate the diaphragm has to keep moving is very powerful.
So sometimes the diaphragm gets stuck in mini-spasms, which leads to sharp mini-fluctuations in air in-out: hiccups.
They are totally harmless. And you'll find the baby doesn't mind them at all. They may drive the poor mother nuts (speaking from experience) when they go on for extended periods, inside the uterus, though.
Hiccups often happen after baby has had a big drink (milk, or amniotic fluid in utero). So baby may be feeling a bit of discomfort due to an over-full belly, but the hiccups in themselves don't phase the little sprites at all. It's something they outgrow as their bodies get bigger and the diaphragm has more room in the tummy to do its job.
The diaphragm is a muscle that literally causes the lungs to inflate and deflate (delfation is the resting state).
Like any muscle it can go into slight spasms.
Immature muscles of the body are most prone to being unreliable. But breathing is very important, and the physiological mandate the diaphragm has to keep moving is very powerful.
So sometimes the diaphragm gets stuck in mini-spasms, which leads to sharp mini-fluctuations in air in-out: hiccups.
They are totally harmless. And you'll find the baby doesn't mind them at all. They may drive the poor mother nuts (speaking from experience) when they go on for extended periods, inside the uterus, though.
Hiccups often happen after baby has had a big drink (milk, or amniotic fluid in utero). So baby may be feeling a bit of discomfort due to an over-full belly, but the hiccups in themselves don't phase the little sprites at all. It's something they outgrow as their bodies get bigger and the diaphragm has more room in the tummy to do its job.
