Research-backed
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Every expectant mom waits for that precious moment when she’ll get to hold her little one in her arms. And, that does not come easily for sure, isn’t it? After having patiently waited for 9 months, a pregnant woman endures excruciating labor pains and childbirth before she finally gets to see her baby. But, in between all the pandemonium, most of us do not realize that even before she gets to see the baby, a new mom actually hears her baby cry which immediately puts her at ease. It is probably the only time a woman, as well as the medical professionals around her, feel assured that the baby is fine after hearing the first cry. Otherwise, all mothers know that for the rest of their lives, a baby’s cry definitely spells trouble.
Your Newborn’s First Cry
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Coming back to the first cry of your newborn, have you wondered what it could mean? It’s a given that a baby will cry soon after birth. The reason being that when the newborn cries, it helps his/her lungs to expand and breathe in that first gush of oxygen. Because, throughout the entire gestational period, the baby breathes oxygen provided by the mother through the placenta. Not only that, a forceful cry helps the baby clear any amniotic fluid remnants from his/her nose, mouth, and lungs. Your baby’s cry also helps medical professionals to measure his/her Apgar score to know how well the baby is doing. This test, which is the first ever test for your baby, rewards points called Apgar scores, starting from 0 to 10 (1).
To determine the scores, the newborn baby is evaluated on five simple parameters – Appearance (color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflexes), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration (breathing) – thus APGAR. Each parameter is then rewarded points from 0 to 2. These points are then summed up to arrive at the final value which has to be anywhere between 0-10. So, when your baby cries, he/she is also demonstrating respiratory activity, increased heart rate, and reflex action to the birthing stimulus.
So, Why Does A Baby Really Cry At Birth?
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You need to remember that your baby has been in a warm, snug, and comparatively darker environment for a long time. In fact, your baby might not even sense its own weight while being afloat in the amniotic fluid. Therefore, it is widely believed that being forced out from this cozy place into a cold, bright, painful and noisy environment disturbs the baby enough to make him/her cry. There is also a theory that points at gravity being the culprit too. Once the baby is born, he/she becomes conscious of his/her own weight (2). This might also take the newborn baby completely by surprise.
While a baby crying right after birth is common in vaginal deliveries, it might not be so in a Cesarean surgery. In vaginal deliveries, the baby experiences a full thrust or force to pass through the birth canal. This entire exercise and sudden entry act like a gentle shock that makes the baby cry. Since this forceful exertion and ‘shock’ element is absent in Cesarean surgeries, medical professionals might pitch in to assist the baby if he/she does not cry after birth (3). The nursing professionals will also clear the residual amniotic fluid from the baby’s mouth, nose, and throat before handing over the baby to the mother.
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Who would have thought that the cry of a newborn, which generally goes unnoticed in the euphoria and chaos of childbirth, has such deep implications? We often marvel, and rightly so, about the sheer grit that a new mom demonstrates during childbirth. However, it now looks as if these tiny little angels are not far behind. Just like their brave mothers, they too endure quite a few adventures in the first few minutes of their life, don’t we all agree? Yes!
