Patient's question:
My son is one and a half months old. After he finishes nursing, I pat his back to burp him, but often it takes a long time and he still doesn't burp. I don't know what's going on?Doctor's answer:
Hello, infant hiccups are primarily caused by three factors.First, improper care can lead to external exposure to cold wind, causing an imbalance of hot and cold qi, which disrupts the body's natural flow. This is colloquially referred to as "drinking cold air" triggering hiccups.
Second, improper diet can also cause hiccups. If the infant consumes excessive milk or cold milk, or takes too many cold medications, qi stagnation may occur, weakening the spleen and stomach function and disrupting the upward and downward movement of qi, leading to stomach qi rising and diaphragm spasms, thus inducing hiccups.
Third, eating too quickly or eating after crying can cause temporary choking, which may also trigger hiccups.
If the infant suddenly develops hiccups without other illnesses, with loud and forceful hiccuping, it is usually due to cold exposure. Drinking warm water and covering the chest and abdomen with warm clothing can help. In winter, placing a hot water bag over the clothing can provide additional warmth, and sometimes the hiccups may resolve on their own without treatment. If the hiccups persist for a long time or occur frequently, a small amount of dried tangerine peel can be soaked in boiling water (dried tangerine peel helps regulate qi flow, dispel stomach stagnation, and regulate spleen function). Once the water cools to a comfortable temperature, it can be consumed, and the hiccups should stop when the body adjusts to the warmth.
If the hiccups are caused by undigested milk or a lack of appetite, a sour and rotten smell may be detected during the hiccuping. In such cases, methods to aid digestion and regulate qi flow can be used, such as gentle massage on the chest and abdomen to guide qi downward or drinking hawthorn water to promote digestion and bowel movement (hawthorn is sour, aids digestion, and increases the secretion of digestive enzymes). Once the food is digested and qi flows smoothly, the hiccups should stop.
Infant hiccups are usually benign and self-limiting, without the discomfort experienced by adults. They often subside on their own after a short period. However, prevention is still the primary approach for infant hiccups. Infants should not be fed when they are crying due to emotional distress, and proper posture and positioning should be maintained during feeding. When feeding from the mother,