American Journal of Pediatrics

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Discussing the “First Cry” as an Initial Assessment for Neonates

Received: 07 February 2020    Accepted: 19 February 2020    Published: 17 March 2020
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Abstract

Background: Crying is common in newly born infants. For many years, it has been considered as a sign of vitality and wellbeing in neonates. However, recent studies have shown that the most important event in neonates’ adaptation to extra-uterine life is “breathing”. Nevertheless, there seems to be multiple organ systems involvement in the act of crying which can be compared with conventional assessments for newly born infants. This review aims at describing the act of crying in newborns, in order to discuss its physiological or pathological significance, so as to elucidate or deny its importance in the initial assessment of a newborn. Method: A review of the literature which was based on the collection and the screening of various scientific articles treating the topic was made, with relevant information reported and their pertinence discussed accordingly. Results: It appears that there is multiple organ systems involvement during crying which can be superposed to conventional assessments such as the Apgar score. Conclusion: The first cry may be considered as an assurance of effective and spontaneous breathing, and is generally associated with multiple organ system involvement, similar to those evaluated by conventional assessments such as the Apgar score. Therefore, the “first cry” alone when present, may be effective in the initial assessment of a neonate, as far as adaptation to extra uterine life is concerned.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajp.20200602.22
Published in American Journal of Pediatrics (Volume 6, Issue 2, June 2020)
Page(s) 129-132
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

First Cry, Apgar Score, Adaptation

References
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Author Information
  • Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon

  • Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon

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  • APA Style

    Georges Pius Kamsu Moyo, Joel Romaric Momo Tetsiguia. (2020). Discussing the “First Cry” as an Initial Assessment for Neonates. American Journal of Pediatrics, 6(2), 129-132. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20200602.22

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    Georges Pius Kamsu Moyo; Joel Romaric Momo Tetsiguia. Discussing the “First Cry” as an Initial Assessment for Neonates. Am. J. Pediatr. 2020, 6(2), 129-132. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20200602.22

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    AMA Style

    Georges Pius Kamsu Moyo, Joel Romaric Momo Tetsiguia. Discussing the “First Cry” as an Initial Assessment for Neonates. Am J Pediatr. 2020;6(2):129-132. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20200602.22

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajp.20200602.22,
      author = {Georges Pius Kamsu Moyo and Joel Romaric Momo Tetsiguia},
      title = {Discussing the “First Cry” as an Initial Assessment for Neonates},
      journal = {American Journal of Pediatrics},
      volume = {6},
      number = {2},
      pages = {129-132},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajp.20200602.22},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20200602.22},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajp.20200602.22},
      abstract = {Background: Crying is common in newly born infants. For many years, it has been considered as a sign of vitality and wellbeing in neonates. However, recent studies have shown that the most important event in neonates’ adaptation to extra-uterine life is “breathing”. Nevertheless, there seems to be multiple organ systems involvement in the act of crying which can be compared with conventional assessments for newly born infants. This review aims at describing the act of crying in newborns, in order to discuss its physiological or pathological significance, so as to elucidate or deny its importance in the initial assessment of a newborn. Method: A review of the literature which was based on the collection and the screening of various scientific articles treating the topic was made, with relevant information reported and their pertinence discussed accordingly. Results: It appears that there is multiple organ systems involvement during crying which can be superposed to conventional assessments such as the Apgar score. Conclusion: The first cry may be considered as an assurance of effective and spontaneous breathing, and is generally associated with multiple organ system involvement, similar to those evaluated by conventional assessments such as the Apgar score. Therefore, the “first cry” alone when present, may be effective in the initial assessment of a neonate, as far as adaptation to extra uterine life is concerned.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Discussing the “First Cry” as an Initial Assessment for Neonates
    AU  - Georges Pius Kamsu Moyo
    AU  - Joel Romaric Momo Tetsiguia
    Y1  - 2020/03/17
    PY  - 2020
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20200602.22
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajp.20200602.22
    T2  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JF  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JO  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    SP  - 129
    EP  - 132
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2472-0909
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20200602.22
    AB  - Background: Crying is common in newly born infants. For many years, it has been considered as a sign of vitality and wellbeing in neonates. However, recent studies have shown that the most important event in neonates’ adaptation to extra-uterine life is “breathing”. Nevertheless, there seems to be multiple organ systems involvement in the act of crying which can be compared with conventional assessments for newly born infants. This review aims at describing the act of crying in newborns, in order to discuss its physiological or pathological significance, so as to elucidate or deny its importance in the initial assessment of a newborn. Method: A review of the literature which was based on the collection and the screening of various scientific articles treating the topic was made, with relevant information reported and their pertinence discussed accordingly. Results: It appears that there is multiple organ systems involvement during crying which can be superposed to conventional assessments such as the Apgar score. Conclusion: The first cry may be considered as an assurance of effective and spontaneous breathing, and is generally associated with multiple organ system involvement, similar to those evaluated by conventional assessments such as the Apgar score. Therefore, the “first cry” alone when present, may be effective in the initial assessment of a neonate, as far as adaptation to extra uterine life is concerned.
    VL  - 6
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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