Researchers studying the the effects of maternal smoking and cocaine use during pregnancy discovered something they didn’t expect — signs of crying in unborn babies.

With the help of video-recorded ultrasound images, the investigators found that a group of third-trimester fetuses showed evidence of “crying behavior” in response to a low-decibel noise played on the mother’s abdomen.

Fetuses showed a “startle” response to the noise, along with deep inhalations and exhalations,an open mouth and a “quivering” chin — all signs of crying.

The behaviour, seen in 11 fetuses, began as early as the 28th week of pregnancy. It was only by chance that the researchers made their observations, said study co-author Dr Ed Mitchell of the University in Auckland in New Zealand.

My guess would be that like many behaviors inside the womb, the baby’s body is testing and turning on its newly wired responses — all related to survival outside of the womb. We already know that unborn babies can suck on their thumb, and that they can also sense external stimuli, like the sound in this study. So, it’s not a huge surprise that unborn babies would be able to exhibit signs of crying, especially since that’s one of the first survival behaviors they do immediately after they’re born.

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