The newborn cries at birth. Because?

The moment in which our little one comes to light is a long moment of tension and hope, which reaches its peak when the baby explodes in his first cry.

To fully understand the importance of crying in the newborn at birth, we anticipate that doctors and nurses are prepared to induce it if it does not happen naturally.

According to neuroscience

Until not so long ago it was quite common to believe that the brain of the newborn was incapable of complex reasoning at birth. Basically it was believed that newborn babies had an immature mind and almost completely indifferent to what happens around them.

But neuroscientific studies, which have shown that, in reality, the baby's brain is much, much more complicated than one could imagine, to the point that during birth it is the newborn himself who gives "a hand", net of his abilities. . According to neuroscience, therefore, the baby's crying is an (almost) conscious and non-mechanical act: it is a real adaptation response that the baby implements to begin to breathe and move in a different, complicated environment. as unexplored as the baby's crying from a scientific point of view

But, scientifically, why do babies cry at birth? Let's try to explain it in simple words. The newborn, until the moment of birth, receives the necessary oxygen inside the uterus through the placenta. During the nine months of gestation, his lungs mature perfectly but are not functioning: on the other hand, the baby is covered with amniotic fluid.

When the baby is pushed out, his mind (and here the reference to neuroscience comes back) realizes that there is no way to get oxygen in the way that, until then, was considered "usual". Thus, signals are left to stimulate the lungs, which will begin to contract and expand gently.

Nevertheless, small amounts of fluid could remain inside the lungs and airways and here comes the crying: through the latter not only do children start to breathe, but push out the remains. It is for this reason, among other things, that the crying often begins in a subdued and gurgling way and becomes gradually more acute: freed of all the remaining fluids, our little one begins to breathe correctly.

Common reasons for newborn crying at birth

The first cry is essential. Contrary to what one might have believed a few decades ago, the reasons behind the baby's crying at birth do not entirely have to do with a hypothetical traumatic passage from the mother's womb to the outside world.

However, if the newborn does not start crying within the first few minutes of delivery, steps are taken to make him cry, long ago the newborn was held firmly upside down and received small slaps on the bottom.

which caused him a little pain that also prompted him to move and clear the blocked airways. Today modern technologies allow to unblock the liberating ways by means of a suction pump. In that case the baby cries because of the induced lung contractions.

Another reason that the baby may cry at birth is related to what is used to wrap him. If the newborn does not cry immediately, in fact, doctors and nurses may decide to swaddle him with a towel, whose texture is decidedly rougher than the amniotic fluid: the irritating sensation is perceived as new and triggers the reaction.

How does a crying baby calm down?

Wondering how to calm a crying baby at birth is actually superfluous. As we have seen, the little one literally cries to live and take his place in the world: there is very little to worry about.

Despite this, it is more than normal that the baby's vocalizations trigger care reactions in the new mother, who will immediately feel the need to keep and pamper the new born, in fact the contact with the mother thanks to her smell makes him feel a at ease.

What if the newborn does not cry at birth?

In reality, if the baby does not start crying immediately, there is nothing to worry about. In fact, it is necessary to look at the situation of the complex: many babies do not cry immediately, but come into the world with a perfect pink color, they move perfectly and are alert. There are children who start crying after a few minutes, calmly. If it does not happen, clearly, crying must necessarily be induced because it is fundamental. The medical team generally takes care of it with different methods.