Unknown Facts: As soon as the newborn’s first sound is heard in the delivery room, it is usually a cry, not a laugh. This sound is both a comfort to the parents and also raises many questions.
After all, why does life begin with tears? Is this a sign of some problem or the first sign of health? According to medical science, this first cry of the baby is his initial communication, which shows that his breathing, body and brain have started functioning properly.
When the child comes out of the mother’s womb, he leaves a safe and peaceful environment and enters a completely different world. While the temperature in the womb is controlled, the lights are dim and the sounds are subdued, the environment outside is cold, bright and full of noise. The child’s body immediately reacts to this sudden change and this reaction comes in the form of crying, which is a sign of his survival and adaptation to the new environment.
According to doctors, the first cry of a child is considered the most important sign of his health. During pregnancy, the baby’s lungs are not fully active, because it continues to get oxygen through the umbilical cord. After birth he has to breathe on his own. When the baby takes a deep breath and exhales while crying, his lungs expand and the fluid filled in them comes out. This process enables him to breathe freely.
This first cry is not only a sound, but also marks the beginning of many important changes within the body. With this, the heartbeat increases and a new system of blood circulation becomes active, due to which oxygen starts reaching every part of the body. For this reason, doctors often wait for the baby to cry, because it is proof that his heart and lungs are functioning properly.
Often this question arises as to why a child does not laugh as soon as he is born. Actually, laughter is an emotional and social response, which is linked to brain development.
At the time of birth, the baby’s brain works only on basic needs. He expresses situations like hunger, cold, pain or discomfort only by crying. Laughing requires a sense of security, belonging and the ability to recognize faces, which develops gradually over time.
Crying is the language of the child in the initial days after birth. In case of problems like hunger, sleep, wet diaper or gas in the stomach, he gives signals by crying.
With time, the mother starts understanding different meanings of her child’s crying. This is why doctors consider crying not as a problem but an important sign of the child’s communication and health.
