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Don't worry about the baby hiccuping a lot!
Scientists believe that hiccups in newborns are a major sign of brain development. According to the scientific journal Clinical Neurophysiology, during hiccups, signals are generated in the child's brain that control the respiratory process.
It develops in the mother's womb
Hiccups appear in the ninth week of pregnancy and continue at birth. Hiccups are especially common in preterm infants (15 minutes).
Research
Scientists at the University of London have witnessed the contraction of the abdominal muscles (diaphragm) during hiccups causing positive reactions at the base of the brain.
In the study, the brains of infants aged 30-42 weeks were scanned. EEG (electroencephalographic) electrodes were also attached to their heads, and pulses were transmitted to the body during hiccups. It was found that during each hiccup, two large and one small wave of neurons responding to the contraction of the abdominal muscles in the child’s brain appeared.
Conclusion
“Through the above processes, the baby learns to feel his body, to control the breathing muscles of the brain,” said Lorenzo Fabrisi, a researcher at the University of London.
"Adult hiccups are probably a residual reflex left over from infancy," said scientist Kimberly Whitehead. This does not mean hiccups that occur after eating a lot, but natural hiccups.