We all know how unnerving hiccups can be–hence the plethora of superstitions, folk remedies, and old wives tales regarding how to relieve these pesky diaphragm spasms. Imagine how torturous it would be to spend every waking moment grappling with an unyielding case of the hiccups! This has been the nightmarish experience of a 20-year-old woman in Santo Domingo: Yaritza Altagracia Morrobel, whose persistent hiccups have lasted two consecutive years. Morrobel and her mother have visited countless doctors in search for a cure but, thus far, no one has pinpointed the cause of her malady. Luckily, Morrobel's condition is extremely rare as most hiccups can be cured with a few tried-and-true remedies. If your child gets the hiccups relatively often, try some of these potential cures!
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Sweeten the deal: For ages, adults have been suggesting that a spoonful of sugar can cure a case of the hiccups, claiming that swallowing the substance stimulates the vagus nerve, which innervates the stomach and sends sensory information about the body's organs to the brain. According to lore, swallowing a bit of sugar can slightly irritate the esophagus, causing the vagus nerve to communicate to the brain that something more important is happening in the body. As a result, phrenic nerves reset, thereby relaxing the diaphragm, causing hiccups to disappear. Though there is some medical research that indicates there's truth behind this remedy, doctors still heavily debate whether it's a legitimate cure. The good news is there's no harm in trying! If you have a young child (not an infant though!) with a bad case of the hiccups, try putting a bit of sugar under his or her tongue. You can also try dipping the child's pacifier in sugar before putting it in his mouth.
Rub them away: If your baby is hiccuping quite a bit, try holding him or her upright and gently rubbing his or her back. Using only a touch of pressure, move your hand from the small of your child's back upward, towards the base of the neck. This upwards motion could relax your child's muscles, including those in the esophagus, and relieve any hiccups.
Change the size of your baby bottle nipples: Hiccups can occur when infants drink too quickly since they're likely to swallow too much air in the process. If you're bottle-feeding, you can control the pace of your child's milk intake by switching to bottle nipples with slightly smaller openings.
Quench that thirst: Giving your child some water, whether in a baby bottle or a sippy cup, can help to alleviate hiccups since the act of drinking the liquid should stimulate the vagus nerve.
Avoid sudden changes in stomach temperature: If you drink a hot liquid, followed by a cool beverage, it can prove shocking to your stomach and this sudden temperature change could potentially lead to hiccups. To prevent this from happening to your child, make sure to keep beverages at a steady temperature. For instance, if you feed your kid warm milk and then switch to water, keep the latter at room temperature.
If all else fails, remember that hiccups are a passing occurrence! If, however, your child's hiccups last more than three hours, become increasingly frequent, or you notice other symptoms like vomiting, difficulty sleeping, or fever, make an appointment with your pediatrician.
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