Patient's question:
My child was slightly asphyxiated at birth. After waking up, he cried a few times and then went back to sleep. Since the doctor didn't say anything at the time, I didn't pay much attention. Now my child is four and a half months old, and he is developing normally. Did the child not cry during asphyxiation?Doctor's answer:
The fetus inside the abdomen is oxygenated by the mother through the placenta. Once born, this connection is severed. The child will rely on its own lungs to breathe. The first cry is a signal that the lungs have opened. Crying and breathing are closely related from the very beginning. A strong cry is a deep breath. If we are not born with this first cry, it would be problematic. Not crying after birth can lead to many diseases and sequelae. Generally, it can be stimulated in other ways to make the child cry and establish lung breathing function.