Every time my son gets the hiccups (which is at least once a day), I am reminded of when I was pregnant and his hiccups would make my whole belly move. I used to fill a tumbler half full with water and set it on my belly to watch the surface of the water move with each hiccup. It was a fun way for my husband to see what I was feeling all the time. When I noticed that the hiccups were coming once or twice a day, sometimes more, I wondered whether they were a sign of something good or if something was wrong.
Fetal hiccups can show up as early as the latter part of the first trimester, though you won’t feel them at this stage. Hiccups are a sign of a healthy baby. They prepare the baby’s lungs for healthy respiratory function after birth and they are related to the development of suckling and gasping patterns. A 2007 study suggests that hiccups may modulate the baby’s heart rate during the third trimester. Though there is not a lot of research on the topic, it is thought that fetal hiccups usually follow a period of sucking or “breathing,” which causes amniotic fluid to flow in and out of the lungs. This causes the diaphragm to contract and leads to the hiccups.
Occasionally hiccups can signal a problem if they are happening too frequently. If a woman notices her baby is getting the hiccups more than usual and the episodes are longer than normal, she should schedule an ultrasound to check for a cord compression or entanglement. Hiccups occur very frequently in the first trimester, but by the third trimester, two to four episodes is considered normal.
Another concern mothers have about their babies’ hiccups is whether they are causing discomfort. Fortunately for your baby and your peace of mind, hiccups don’t hurt the baby at all. After your baby is born, you’ll notice the frequent hiccups continue, often after a meal. Newborn hiccups are even cuter than fetal hiccups!