How long did it take your baby to cry after birth?

[jenners26]

I finally got DH to sit down and watch a few birth videos last night (we're planning for a UC and we want an idea of what's 'normal').

Anyway, he was a little alarmed at the time it took (45 seconds to a minute-and-a-half for the water births, which is what I'm planning) in some of the videos for the baby to cry.

So, what about your baby. Did you have a water or land birth? How long was it before your baby let out that first cry? Did you prompt the cry with rubbing or suction?

Thanks!

[prancie]

I know couple of things, for a little while the umbilical cord is still sustaining the baby and a baby doesn't have to cry or make any noise to be breathing.

[Serenyd]

Some of those water birth babies scare me too .... it seems like they are taking so looong to start.

[Astraia]

What I'm never sure about in those videos- the sound quality is not great, so maybe they're making gurgly breathing noises that we can't hear?

I know when DD was born (midwife attended birth) she made gurgly noises for a few seconds before crying- and that was with 6 people around all going "oh my god!" in a fully lit room.

So it's possible that these babies are making breathing attempts that we can't hear and have no need to cry in a calm, dim, safe environment until it really registers as "wait, this is different!"

But from what I've heard, 45 sec- 1 min is when you'll want to start thinking about other measures- even if it's just turning baby face down and rubbing his back, blowing gently across his face, talking loudly to stimulate him, etc.

[MsBlack]

Some newborns never do really cry. They just gently unfold, breathing initiates gradually over the first couple minutes. For a baby with good color (pale blue to lavender to pink/red), and with a heart rate of 100 or more, no need to worry! Yes, you can stimulate the baby in various ways if you're worried, but really the process of being born, starting to breathe, gradual reduction of cord blood flow over the fist minutes following birth--it works really well! And happy, peaceful babies just don't cry, at least not until someone aggravates them like putting on a diaper later....they start breathing slowly, with stops/starts, the transition from cord flow to breathing takes 2-4min or even longer.

It's really easy to hear a newborn's heartbeat with a stethoscope, and it only costs about $20 for a decent stethoscope. You listen for 5-10 seconds and count; you should hear at least 9beats in 5 seconds or 18 in 10sec (possibly a few or several more). A baby with a hb of at least 100 is a baby who is most likely doing just fine--not in need of help.

Water babies are often peaceful at birth~

[fyrebloom]

There is a great resource someone posted with the apgars for a waterbirth baby. Since they're being born into warm water they don't cold cry immediately. If they don't cold cry the cord doesn't seal off. The things you look for instead are color and awareness and such.

Here is the cheat sheet
http://s292.photobucket.com/albums/m...t=scan0007.jpg

[reducereuserecycle]

i didn't have a water birth but i don't remember dd crying at all (i mean maybe later that day she did). she coughed a little and i held her upright and she was fine but there was no loud screaming or crying right away.

[BanditaMamacita]

My memories from ds's wildly rapid birth are vague, at best, but I don't remember him crying at all.... But I really don't remember those first moments. He definitely wasn't crying a few minutes later when I moved from the tub to the bed, but i dunno about before that. With dd, my first, she definitely did not cry. She was looking at me with the most peaceful look... Not a peep until her cord was cut 10-15 minutes later. They were both water births, by the way.

[bethanyclaire]

DS did not cry when he was born (not a waterbirth). He was very peaceful and aware. His eyes were wide open and he came out looking around. The moment that I spoke he looked right at me and didn't make a sound. His color was perfect, his breathing was good and his heartrate was fine. He just never cried. It was strange and I certainly didn't expect it but he didn't make any sounds other than a cough or two.

[MrsAngelic]

My last birth it took the time it took for my husband to pass the baby between my legs and into my arms - so about 30 seconds? I was squatting leaning over the tub for pushing, and then sat back and held the little guy who started crying. It was cute because my oldest son ran right up to the door to say his little sister was crying and his brother turned to him and said "But Ayla's here, she's not crying." It took him a second, "But who's crying then?....." and we let them all in to see their new little brother!

[Sheryl1678]

I had a land birth (UC) and I don't recall dd crying at all. It took probably 30 seconds for her to start breathing which freaked my mother out but she was in a very quiet alert state the whole time.

[poiyt]

dd#1 (was a hospital birth...) and she did not cry - at all...for the first 24hrs..I blame the epidural Its also why she didnt nurse...

dd#2..lol..she was my UC..and she cried...the moment her little body slid out...and did not stop...she was angry to have been born and did not open her eyes for 24hrs...ha ha ha

I think all babies are different...no matter how they are birthed.

[peachopotamus]

DS's birth was a water birth. He didn't cry right away but he did not worry me. I rubbed him with a towel and he gave a good strong cry. He pinked up quickly.

I don't see not crying right away a bad thing as long as their color is good and they are responsive.

[zoebird]

hawk started up about 30 seconds to 1 minute after the birth. he was breathing before then, though, and then decided he was cold. and he had opinions about that.

[BroodyWoodsgal]

My DD made some noises about 20 seconds after emerging from the water...but never cried. Her breathing was fine. She didn't cry until she was around 2 weeks old...honestly. Just a really calm kid who spent about 12 hours a day sleeping and the entire rest of the time (it really felt like it!) breastfeeding! She was just never unhappy...the only thing she ever wanted was boob...and that boob was pretty much bare naked and pressed against her face whether she was eating or not...so she never really had to express a want for it...she would just start eating when she wanted it.


Some babies don't cry...but crying does not = breathing...just as not crying does not = not breathing.

[boheime]

#1, UC, land - no crying. He just looked around with these big eyes taking in everything.

#2, UC, land - I'm pretty certain she was asleep until right before she was born and was not happy about it. She definitely let us know - totally her personality

#3, UC, water - He looked around without crying until he was getting a little cold and I made certain to get his body back in the warm water with me.

[Serenyd]

DS didn't cry until I turned him head down to "drain the mucus" ... he wasn't a big fan of that maneuver! Of course my biggest fear was that he wouldn't start breathing, so it seemed like an eternity but I think it was only a few seconds. He cried long and hard after that .. and he hated the light.

[amberskyfire]

Not all babies cry. I have also heard that babies do not tend to cry at water births because it's a gentler transition into the world and not as shocking as the sudden onset of gravity and the cooler air.

My baby was not born in water, however, and she was literally crying as her face was coming out of my vagina, bless her heart. Poor baby

Crying is not necessarily something that babies need to do when they are born. Just like the rest of us, they can breathe without crying. It's just sort of accepted these days that a baby has to start crying when it's born. Most doctors will even pinch the baby to make it cry.

[reducereuserecycle]

Most doctors will even pinch the baby to make it cry.

[cottonwood]

I had three land births and a water birth. I don't remember with my first because it was such a traumatic birth, I was so out of it, and he was taken from me. I don't remember any crying at all with my second, my waterbirth baby. One of my UCs, the baby cried out upon arrival but quieted very quickly. My other UC the baby made some mewing type noises, but not what I'd classify as "crying". In general, the gentler the birth, the less of a shock of the environment the baby's entering into, and the more contact with the mother, the less the baby has any need to cry.