How Does A Baby Experience Birth?
The information we find in magazines, books and articles on the internet specializing in maternity only speak about how a mother experiences birth. But how does a baby experience birth?
Many think that mothers go through intense pain during the delivery process, others think that “it is not too bad.” Pain is very subjective and everybody experiences it differently during birth. We must remember that we cannot compare one person to another.
Be that as it may, we are accustomed to thinking about how the mother experiences this moment. If it will be complicated or not, if they will feel lots of pain or not, how they should breathe, what postures they should adopt to relieve pain, etc.
But we repeat: What about the baby? How does our baby experience birth?
It is very difficult to know for sure. Obviously babies will never tell us. However, there are more and more professionals (doctors, perinatal and prenatal phycologists) that are studying this process from the baby’s point of view.
We will try to explain the birth process from the baby’s perspective in this article – this way we will get an idea of what they experience.
Discover how a baby experiences birth from the moment of the first contractions
The baby knows when it is ready to be born. Through a hormonal torrent the baby indicates to its mother that it is ready. Then, contractions are triggered and help bring the baby to the outside world.
The baby starts to prepare for this moment before the moment of birth. Their suprarenal glands start to secrete adrenaline a lot faster than any other moment in their life. This prepares them to go through the stressful moment that is approaching.
Some specialists claim that the mother and child are connected through the placenta. Thanks to this connection the little one can know the emotional state of its mother. This is why it is so important to remain calm.
When the baby starts to feel the first contractions, it realizes something is happening. The uterus contracts and pushes them towards the exit. They feel pressure, something like a massage that prepares them for their exit
What do they feel as they descend through the birth canal?
As they pass through the birth canal they might feel slight discomfort. This discomfort can increase if it is a complicated birth.
The baby produces a large amount of endorphins during birth that allows them to suffer less pain and feel a certain well-being.
It is thought that while the baby is feeling the massage, they press their head against the cervix in order to help them open the birth canal.
During the first push that the mother makes, the baby only feels intense pressure and not the intense pain that the mother experiences.
What are the natural movements of the baby for?
The baby naturally performs a series of movements: it descends, flexes its head, performs internal rotation, head extension, external rotation and finally expulsion.
Although this appears to be painful and discomforting, the natural birth process is still less traumatic for a child.
This is more or less how a baby experiences birth. Although it seems very traumatic, it seems to be a worse experience for the mother. Strange right?
What does the baby feel when it finally comes into the world?
When the baby comes into the world, the umbilical cord is cut and the lungs of the little one begin to function. All the pressure they experienced during the descent help them expel all of the liquid they had in their lungs.
While inside their mother, the baby was accustomed to a temperature of 36 degrees. Once they exit the temperature is lower. That is why we need to act fast.
It is best to cover them with a little blanket and put them over the warm skin of their mother. This will prevent them from feeling cold and suffering from hypothermia.
This contact made with the mother is known to be very important in order to develop the bond between mother and child. It also facilitates breastfeeding for mothers who want to carry it out.
So now you have an idea of how a baby experiences birth. We always receive information about how mothers experience birth. However, we can sometimes find out how the little one feels, too.