It is normal for a fetus to burp several times a day.
Fetal hiccups are normal, usually two or three times a day. Hiccups are caused by the sudden contraction of muscles used by people when inhaling, and so are fetal hiccups. At 28 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus began to exercise its breathing ability by swallowing amniotic fluid, and the alveoli continued to develop. Once the brain is stimulated by the cause of hiccups, the muscles used by the fetus to inhale will contract spasmodically.
During prenatal examination, doctors often see or hear that the abdominal wall of pregnant women has paroxysmal and regular beating. The general frequency of this phenomenon is 15-30 times per minute, and the duration of each time is 3- 15 minutes, ranging from 3-5 times a day. This phenomenon is actually that the fetus is burping. Fetal burping is not an abnormality, but a physiological phenomenon, which does not need to cause tension, let alone medical intervention.
When the lungs of the fetus are not fully developed, it is necessary to exercise the breathing ability of the lungs by swallowing amniotic fluid, and burping is one way to exercise the breathing ability. Some fetuses burp frequently in the third trimester, but some fetuses never burp. At the same time, some fetuses burp even after birth. These are normal phenomena, and mothers don't have to worry too much.
The normal fetal position is head down, so the fetus burps and beats in the lower left or right abdomen at this time. If the position of fetal hiccups changes and begins to appear in the middle or upper abdomen, it may mean that the fetal position is abnormal. However, due to the different physical conditions of each fetus and pregnant women, the beating position of fetal hiccups is not absolute. The above experience is for reference only. If you find abnormal fetal position, please consult a doctor immediately.
What is the cause of the fetus?
Fetal burping is probably an early manifestation of breastfeeding, just like a child learns to crawl before learning to walk. Babies suck milk much like burps. When muscles move, the glottis close to prevent milk from entering the lungs. Therefore, pregnant mothers don't have to be too nervous, do relevant physical examinations according to regulations, and usually pay more attention to observing fetal movements.
In the second and third trimester of pregnancy, the fetus needs to start exercising lung breathing to adapt to the outside life after birth in the future, but the fetus itself is surrounded by amniotic fluid in the placenta, so the babies will continue to swallow the amniotic fluid in the mother-to-be to exercise lung breathing, and the alveoli will continue to grow in the amniotic fluid.
Between the chest and abdominal cavity of the fetus, there is a muscular membrane as thick as a hat, called diaphragm, which separates the chest and abdominal cavity. Like other organs in the body, the diaphragm has nerve distribution and blood supply. At this time, once the brain is stimulated by the cause of burping, the muscles used by the fetus to inhale will contract spasmodically and burp.