During the nine months of pregnancy, the baby breathes through the mother. The baby’s lungs are the last organ to start working, and it will be after birth. Your first breath (which may or may not be accompanied by crying) sounds like a gasp indicating that air has entered your lungs for the first time .
But this moment, which is undoubtedly one of the most important and expected during labor, not only starts the baby’s breathing process, it also triggers a series of vital changes in his brain , according to a study.
Published in the journal Nature , the study carried out by researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in the United States, found that the baby’s first breath activates a neurological mechanism , which starts the system that allows us to breathe through the rest of our lives. lives.
This mechanism sends signals in the brain stem, activating a peptide neurotransmitter called PACAP, which transmits information between neurons and immediately activates a specific gene that regulates respiration .
According to the researchers, who conducted their research in mice, suppression of the peptide can cause respiratory problems and increase the frequency of apneas , pauses that can be potentially dangerous in breathing, especially after delivery.
Also, it was found that these types of respiratory complications were exacerbated when the baby mice were placed in very cold or very hot environments, suggesting that the problems derived from PACAP deficiency are partially dependent on heat stress .
As we know, among the theories about the causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) it is found that the baby’s breathing mechanism fails or does not work properly and that body temperature influences in some way.
The researchers therefore consider that the neuropeptide system should continue to be investigated, since the problems that arise in it could increase the risk of SIDS or other respiratory problems.
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Via | IFL Science In Babies and more | Are you breathing well? Five curiosities about breathing in newborns that you should know, They identify the gene that is involved in the baby’s first breath
