Why Do Fetuses Get Hiccups?

Feeling rhythmic movements in the womb in later pregnancy can be a cause for concern for moms-to-be. Most feel an element of surprise when they discover that their unborn baby is hiccupping. But why do babies hiccup in utero?

First Hiccups

• By the time a pregnant woman reaches the end of the first trimester of pregnancy, weeks 11 to 14, her baby is well-established in the womb. According to Judy Maloni from the Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing, fetuses of this age are developed enough to hiccup in the womb, although at this stage the movement can't be felt by the mother.

Harmless Hiccups

• By 20 weeks, mothers begin to feel movement of their baby in the womb, including the rhythmic jerking of hiccups. At this stage of pregnancy, the cause of hiccups is likely to be spasms of an immature diaphragm.

Other Causes

• Some experts suggest that hiccuping in fetuses in later pregnancy is caused by drinking or breathing in amniotic fluid. The fluid flows in and out of the lungs and encourages the diaphragm to contract. Experts claim that fetal hiccuping is normal and causes no distress for the baby.