One of the most magical parts of pregnancy is feeling Baby start to move. What begins as flutters turn into the rolls, kicks and bumps you now know. It can be so reassuring to feel each and every nudge. But one movement that can cause some worry? Hiccups. The good news is that fetal hiccups are a normal and common part of most pregnancies.
Need more info? Keep reading below.
What causes hiccups?
In any person – adult or baby in the womb – the motion of the diaphragm causes hiccups. The diaphragm is the large muscle that sits below our lungs. Experts think that this muscle gets a little bit irritated, and that’s why hiccups begin. It makes sense that babies would have more hiccups as their muscles and nerve pathways are still developing.
Kick counts
You may have been advised to do regular counts of your baby’s movements, and hiccups are the only motions that do not count. That’s because they’re involuntary – just the diaphragm muscle acting on its own. This can make some parents worry that hiccups aren’t normal or are dangerous, but there is no evidence to suggest that’s true.
Despite some misinformation you may see online – hiccups are not a sign that anything is wrong with your baby, and you do not need to try to make them go away. When in doubt, use counting your baby’s movements as a gauge to see if you need to call your OB provider.
Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team
