# Do babies cry in utero? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-babies-cry-in-utero/545624 "2010-07-05T19:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-babies-cry-in-utero/545624/1 "2010-07-05T19:25:14Z")
Sure, after birth babies cry because one of their needs aren’t being met and the womb is a self contained pleasure palace, but still, babies with colic cry for no understandable reason. A while back I saw a documentary showing a babies ‘silent scream’ used to prove young fetuses can feel pain, but is that the same? ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-babies-cry-in-utero/545624/2 "2010-07-05T22:37:05Z")
Why “scream” why not “yawn”? If that video you saw was _“the silent scream”_ it _proves_ nothing. The medical profession in general\* is convinced on the basis of neuroanatomy and physiology that foetuses don’t feel pain before 24weeks. Cite: [http://www.rcog.org.uk/fetal-awareness-review-research-and-recommendations-practice](http://www.rcog.org.uk/fetal-awareness-review-research-and-recommendations-practice) \*dissenting opinions exist.Obviously. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-babies-cry-in-utero/545624/3 "2010-07-05T23:31:04Z")
How could a fetus cry when there is no air in the womb? Or do you mean just tears? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-babies-cry-in-utero/545624/4 "2010-07-05T23:36:15Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > Why “scream” why not “yawn”? If that video you saw was _“the silent scream”_ it _proves_ nothing. I often yawn when getting poked with sharp objects. > [@irishgirl](#): > > The medical profession in general\* is convinced on the basis of neuroanatomy and physiology that foetuses don’t feel pain before 24weeks. Fine. I’ll take your word for it, post 24 weeks they’re still in the womb so lets get back to my question. > [@NinetyWt](#): > > ``` > How could a fetus cry when there is no air in the womb? Or do you mean just tears? > > ``` In my recent experience babies don’t even have tears when they’re little they just scream and you don’t have to hear them to see their face get that way. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-babies-cry-in-utero/545624/5 "2010-07-06T00:11:23Z")
All I can contribute is that they do hiccup. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-babies-cry-in-utero/545624/6 "2010-07-06T00:27:17Z")
Aren’t the fetus’s lungs filled with liquid? In that case, I don’t think the voice box would work. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-babies-cry-in-utero/545624/7 "2010-07-06T00:48:32Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > In my recent experience babies don’t even have tears when they’re little they just scream and you don’t have to hear them to see their face get that way. I think maybe you and I are thinking of different things. When I think of a baby crying, the baby is making noise - screams, sobs, something - which isn’t possible without air. Are you maybe asking is it possible for a fetus to be in anguish? I think yes. I don’t think they can cry though. This is what I think of as crying: > [@](#): > > Crying in infancy is described as a loud, high-pitched sound made by infants in response to certain situations. > > Infants have a cry reflex that is a normal response to some stimuli, such as pain or hunger. Older children and adults cry for emotional reasons such as pain, fear, sadness, or frustration. Premature infants may not have a cry reflex, so they must be monitored closely for signs of hunger and pain. From [here](http://www.medhelp.org/medical-information/show/5110/Crying-in-infancy).