Patient's question:
My child was slightly asphyxiated at birth and woke up crying a few times before falling asleep. Since the doctor didn't say anything at the time, I didn't pay much attention. The child is now four and a half months old, and their development is completely normal. Did the child not cry during the asphyxia?Doctor's answer:
The fetus inside the mother is oxygenated through the placenta. Once born, this connection is cut off, and the child relies on its own lungs to breathe. The first cry is a signal that the lungs are open. Crying and breathing are closely related from the very beginning. A strong cry is a deep breath. If we are not naturally born with this first cry, it would be troublesome. 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.