Hi,
Just found this site and while browsing through the archives I came across this question. “What are hiccups and why do we get them?”
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_118.html
As a father of three I noticed that an infant Hiccups frequently while in the womb (several fits/day) and also for a few months afterwards.
I surmise that these hicupping fits are actually a form of exercise for the developing infant so that they will have the muscle capacity to breathe once they are born. The snapping shut of the epiglottis might have something to do with the fact that the infant is submerged at the time this begins.
Anyway, that’s my $0.02.