Suctioning
In a Nutshell
The womb that babies develop in is a warm, watery world. Somewhere around 10-13 weeks of gestation, babies begin to swallow and inhale small bits of amniotic fluid, which helps to develop their lungs. During the birth process, babies go from a water-filled world to an air-filled world. Because of this, babies are usually born with some leftover fluid in their mouth, nose, and lungs. When babies are born vaginally, going through the birth canal helps to squeeze that extra fluid out. Although babies who are born healthy and vigorous are able to clear their mouth and nose by crying, it has become a standard of care to suction their mouths and noses almost immediately after exiting the womb with a bulb syringe.
Dig Deeper
Most healthcare providers have the thought process that babies need help getting that extra fluid out. The idea is that babies will not be able to breathe properly if the fluid is not removed for them. However, babies have an innate survival instinct to clear that fluid on their own.
According to this study, suctioning of the nose, mouth, and throat of a newborn baby can cause “vagal-induced bradycardia”. This means that the suctioning s
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Please avoid suctioning my baby unless they need to be resuscitated.