Why Do Newborn Babies Cry And Why It Is Important For A Baby To Cry? | What Does It Signify?

Everyone knows that whenever a baby is born, it starts crying, and once the baby cries, both the mother and the doctor get relaxed and become happy that the baby is absolutely fine and healthy. But do you know why a newborn baby cries and why it is so important for a baby to cry? And what if the baby doesn't cry soon after birth?

You must know that when a baby is in its mother's womb, it does not breathe independently, neither eat food nor drink water by itself. But then the question is, how does it survive? Actually, in the mother's womb, the unborn baby (fetus) is closed in a thin-walled sac (amniotic sac) and that sac is filled with a water-like fluid, which is called Amniotic fluid, and this fluid protects the baby from injury and maintains its body temperature. The baby is attached to the mother's body for survival by an umbilical cord that connects the baby to the mother's placenta. The placenta grows in the uterus (womb) and provides food and oxygen, and other essential nutrients, to the baby through the umbilical cord.

Through this umbilical cord, the baby gets everything that is needed to keep it alive, and hence, the baby's lungs do not have to do any work for nine months, that is, they remain inactive. But as soon as the baby comes out of the mother's body, a clamp is put on the cord, and it is cut so that the baby is no longer attached to the placenta. Now initially as long as the baby was in the mother's womb, it was completely dependent on its mother and received everything through the umbilical cord. But as soon as the baby gets separated from the mother's body, it has to depend on itself i.e. breathe on its own. But at that time the baby's lungs were inactive as they had not been functioning for nine months and were filled with amniotic fluid. 

For this, it is necessary that the baby takes long breaths so that the amniotic fluid is released from the corners of the lungs and the air passages are open to the alveoli, the functional unit of the lungs. When the fluid is released, the airway opens up and the air begins to circulate. So when the newborn breathes, he expels the fluid accumulated in the nose and mouth. In this process, the baby starts crying, so that its lungs become active and start functioning well. For all this, the act of crying plays an important role, in fact, the baby takes a deep breath while crying. This is the reason that if the baby does not cry after birth, then he is made to cry with a slight slap.

The process of labor is painful for both mother and the baby, as the baby has to come into the world through a very narrow path and the environment outside is different from that found in the mother's womb. Moving from a safe environment to a difficult one can also be a reason for the baby to cry.