Hiccups in Utero
Pregnant women often mention feeling their baby having hiccups while in the womb and wonder what causes this. These hiccups can start in the first trimester, but won’t be felt by mom until late in the second trimester or during the third trimester. Rarely do the hiccups bother the mother-to-be, however some moms might worry that it is hurting their baby.

The exact cause of your baby’s hiccups is unknown. However, many specialists believe that your baby’s hiccups may be helping to strengthen the diaphragm muscle in order to help the baby breathe both in the womb and once they are born. In many cases your baby will have the hiccups at the same time everyday.

Not only can hiccups be felt by the mom-to-be, but it can also be detected during an ultrasound and picked up on a Doppler while at the doctor’s office for a routine visit. After a woman has been assured that these hiccups are normal and are not bothering their baby, then they become something that can be looked forward to on a daily basis, much like their baby kicking.

Hiccups After Birth
If your baby had hiccups while in utero, it is very plausible that he will have the hiccups after he is born. Some babies that did not have them in utero may still have them after birth. Hiccups can start after birth as early as the day your baby is born. Like the hiccups your baby might have had in utero, these hiccups are generally not painful for your baby.

Hiccups after birth occur when the diaphragm muscle contracts causing your baby to take quick short breaths. Normally these hiccups go away after only a few minutes. If they are really bothering you, try burping your baby more often during feedings. To get them to stop you can try to feed your baby whether you are nursing or bottlefeeding. The constant sucking and swallowing can help that muscle relax and help the hiccups stop.

What It Means The APGAR score is a measurement of a newborn’s response to birth and life outside the womb. It was named for its creator, pediatrician Virginia Apgar (1909-1974), who introduced the system in 1952. Ratings are based on the following factors:

Appearance (color)
0 for blue or pale
1 for pink with blue extremities
2 for pink overall 

Pulse (heartbeat)
0 for absent (no pulse)
1 for under 100 bpm
2 for over 100 bpm

Grimace (reflex)
0 for non-responsive
1 for grimace
2 for cough or sneeze

Activity (muscle tone)
0 for limp
1 for some reflex
2 for active movement

Respiration (breathing)
0 for absent
1 for slow, irregular
2 for good crying

As you can see, for each factor, there is a score of 0 (poorest), 1 or 2 (best) which may be given. The score is taken at one and five minutes (sometimes also 10 minutes) after birth, the total high score being 10 and the lowest score being 0. The American Academy of Pediatrics made a statement in 1996 regarding the use, and abuse, of the scoring system as anything other than a newborn assessment tool: “APGAR scores are useful in assessing the condition of the infant at birth. Their use in other settings, such as collection of a child’s Apgar score at entry to school, is inappropriate.”