What It Means When Babies Cry In The Womb, According To Science

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It breaks your heart a little whenever you see a baby crying, isn’t it? According to recent findings, babies cry in the womb of the mother! This actually means that your first cry was not really on your birthday. A crying baby is always a good sign as soon as the delivery is over and a baby who doesn’t cry often worries the doctors. But what does it mean if the baby is crying before the delivery?

Researchers from Durham and Lancaster universities studied the development of movements of fetuses and found that they “practice” facial expressions of pain before they are born (1). These expressions range from a simple smile to lowered eyebrows and a wrinkled nose. The study observed 4D scans of 15 fetuses out of which eight were girls and seven were boys.

Dr. Nadja Reissland, the lead researcher said that the facial expressions that were recorded were associated with signs of brain maturity and not the actual feelings (2). She also said that it’s not clear if fetuses can feel pain and if their facial expressions are based on what they actually feel. Now, we know that this is key to further research on the matter.

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Another Study That Actually Dug A Little Deeper

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The findings of this throw light on the fact that unborn babies can start crying as early as in the 28th week of pregnancy (3). The study was not intended to find if babies cry inside the mother’s womb. But researchers stumbled upon this finding while they were trying to explore something else. The report that was published by Archives of Disease in Childhood focused on third-trimester fetuses of women who were tobacco and cocaine users. The response of the fetuses to a soft sound played near the baby bump of the mother was recorded and studied.

The researchers wanted to study the effects of tobacco and cocaine on the baby and they found that several fetuses appeared to cry in response to the sound that was played. The video recorded by researchers during the study showed that one of the female fetuses turned her head, opened her mouth, depressed her tongue, and let out a short breath when the sound was played. It was also observed that the fetus tightened her chest and let out quick breaths. Adding to the response, she had a quivering chin and a visible head tilt.

Do All The Fetuses Cry?

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Researchers found that the crying response was observed in 10 fetuses from mothers who used tobacco, cocaine, both of them, and neither of them. This proved that the crying behavior was not exclusive to the fetuses of women who smoked or used cocaine.

Something like crying is a complex process that requires the coordination of different motor systems and hence it may have developmental implications (4). The fetus should be able to understand the stimulus, recognize it as something negative, and then give out an appropriate response in order to cry. This finding opens new doors to a lot more research on fetuses and their response to external stimuli.

Is It Bad That The Fetuses Cry?

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Babies cry for a lot of reasons – even if it kills the mother’s happiness, it’s vital for babies to cry. One of the major reasons why babies cry is to express pain and displeasure. Babies cry when they are hurt, hungry, not getting enough attention, or when they are not comfortable. This is their way of letting the caretaker know about their well being (5).

It’s hard enough to see your baby cry when they are born but also knowing that they start crying when they are tiny little fetuses is painful. However, you need to know that if they are crying it’s a good sign and it helps you protect them better. With every gentle stroke on your baby bump, you’re protecting your baby – just the way you would for the rest of his/her life.

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