Have you ever wondered why babies come into the world bawling and crying noisily? There are old wives tales and beliefs about baby’s first cry right after birth and they are all interesting ones, but there’s no evidence to prove them. Although science has answers as to why babies cry when they first visit earth.
And here they are;
For your baby to survive it’s important they cry their first cry, when your baby was in the womb it derives it’s oxygen from the umbilical cord which also takes away carbon dioxide from the blood stream. Meaning, he does not utilize his lungs in the womb but that would change once he comes to life.
Once given birth to, your baby should cry between the first thirty seconds and one minute of his life. And by crying, he’d be able to The suction off the amniotic fluid and other secretions that were present in his lungs before his birth, after which he’d be able to breathe in the breath of life.
If he doesn’t cry on his own. the doctors will have to make him cry, which is why doctors hold new borns by their feet with their face down and spank their bottom. Another way doctor make the baby cry is to gently massage the soles of the baby’s feet or rub his back.
Another reason baby may cry is the sudden change in environment, leaving a cozy dark place to a place filled with lots of light. the baby might also cry because he’s tired or hungry.
Other reasons are;
Difference In Temperature
The womb is pretty warm (I’m sure you know that already) so when your baby is born to earth, they would feel cold due to the sudden change in the environment. Your baby is born naked in their wet body, so when they are given birth to, there’s a sudden drop in temperature and this can frighten him. And his only way of reacting to this is by crying out loud. It takes about forty minutes to reach normal lung compliance after birth.
Exchange Of Gasses
During labour, with every uterine contraction the carbon dioxide level in the child’s blood increase, especially during the second stage of labour. The high level of acid in the child’s blood induces the baby to breathe.
Weightlessness
Your baby has been in the womb for nine months in it’s own waters (amniotic fluid), he would feel weightless in water than he actually weighs, but when he when he’s born, he’ll feel heavy apparently because he’s not aware of having so much weight and this may trigger his cries.
The Umbilical Cord
The normal length of the umbilical cord is 30 to 60cm. If it’s longer than 60cm, it could wrap tightly around the newborn. If it’s shorter than 25cm, there can be a premature detachment of the placenta due to strong pulling, or a rupture of the umbilical cord.
It could also affect the oxygen supply to the baby during birth and its first breath. Before cutting off the umbilical cord it’s important you allow it to stop vibrating,(leave it for about 1 or 1.5 minutes) so as to allow the sufficient blood reserves in the placenta to help the complete expansion of the lungs.
Children who did not cry at birth usually suffer from congested sinuses or colds in the first year of their life. The chances of them having throat, ears, nose infections or chronic inflammations of the middle ear leading to deafness or speech retardation in the future is high.
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