After the baby is delivered from the mother, it is directly soaked in water. Why is the baby not only not afraid but also happy?

In foreign countries, in order to alleviate the pain of pregnant women during childbirth, some doctors will advise expectant mothers to give birth in water. After the baby is delivered from the mother, it is directly soaked in the water. The baby in the water is not only not afraid, but also enjoys freedom. What's going on here?

In fact, newborns have many amazing skills, one of which is called "swimming reflex". Put the newborn on his stomach in the water, and he will make well-coordinated swimming movements with his limbs. After 6 months, this reflection gradually disappeared. After six months, if you put the baby in the water like this again, he will struggle; It was not until 8 months later that the baby had a conscious swimming action. Swimming reflex can help those newborns who accidentally fall into the water avoid drowning immediately and increase the chances of being rescued. A baby immersed in water will actively paddle its limbs and subconsciously hold its breath (thus giving the body some buoyancy); Swimming reflex will make the baby float on the water for a period of time, which is beneficial to rescue. It exists at birth and then disappears, which is a sign of the normal development of the nervous system.

Babies under half a year old have a special valve in their throat. When they are thrown into the water, the valve will automatically close the airway. Children can float in the water for a while without choking, but this time will not be too long, less than a minute. When they are in the water, they don't breathe, they don't spit bubbles, and of course they don't actively hold their breath like adults. This is more like an instinctive survival response. After half a year, the valve gradually degenerated and basically disappeared after one year. Another function of this valve is to prevent the baby from choking when the milk is sucked into the trachea. There are some underwater photography works of babies, which are completed by using the characteristics of babies under half a year old.

The baby grew up in the mother's amniotic fluid. When in the mother's body, the respiratory organs have not yet started to work, and the umbilical cord is connected to the mother to "breathe". Because of this, some people think that babies are born to swim, but this is actually a wrong understanding. The density of human body is slightly less than that of water. Anyone who is not afraid of water and relaxes his muscles can float in the water without swimming. Babies, on the other hand, are not afraid of water, so they can relax easily in the water, so they are easier to float than adults who can't swim.