When the baby cries, the mother only needs 5 seconds to act

Babies cry as a way of communicating. Whether it's crying to tell you that he is hungry, thirsty, wet his bed, scared, and various other situations that make him uncomfortable. Mothers are generally quicker to respond when a baby cries than fathers. It turns out that the mother's reaction speed to act to calm the crying baby is influenced by brain activity differently than at other times.

The mother's brain works faster and is more sensitive when the baby cries

For outsiders who see it, the mother's quick response to calm when the baby cries is said to be a maternal instinct. However, a study in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology states that there are several parts of the mother's brain that work more actively when she hears her baby cry. These parts of the brain are the motor supplementary, inferior frontal, superior temporal, midbrain, and striatum.

The areas of the brain that were activated in this study could be described as areas of "readiness" or "planning," said Robert Froemke, a neuroscientist at New York University. The reason is, all parts of the brain are responsible for processing auditory stimuli, speed of motor movement, understanding and speaking, and treatment.

The activity in these parts of the brain will determine how the mother responds when the baby cries. The response is to pick him up, carry him, cradle him, and then talk to him. Marc Bornstein, Ph.D, head of children and families at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development said mothers only need about five seconds to act when they hear a baby cry.

These findings were concluded after observing the brain activity of 684 mothers from 11 countries when interacting with their crying babies. Another study was also conducted using MRI scavengers on 43 new mothers in the United States and 44 mothers in China who had more experience in caring for babies. The result was the same: mothers had a similar response when they heard their babies cry.

The change in brain function in the mother actually starts during pregnancy. Changes in brain function are also influenced by the increase in the hormone dopamine during pregnancy to prepare him to become parents.

The hormone oxytocin plays a role in determining how the mother responds to the baby's crying

Apart from dopamine, the hormone oxytocin plays a major role in regulating the mother's response to her baby's crying. Froemke states that this hormone plays an important role in bonding with the mother with the baby after doing experiments on mice.

Froemke also said that the hormone oxytocin helps shape the mother's brain to respond to the various needs of her child. Several studies suggest that mothers who give birth normally and breastfeed have a stronger brain response when their babies cry than mothers who give birth by caesarean section and give formula milk to their children. One of the strong reasons for this is the involvement of the hormone oxytocin in both processes.

The reason is, when the baby is brought closer to the breast to be breastfed, the body triggers oxytocin to flood the brain. Oxytocin plays a role in increasing bonding, empathy, and other feelings of happiness which help her to develop a close relationship with her baby.

Because crying is the baby's only means of communication, the mother's brain is designed in such a way to understand and react specifically in response to the baby's crying.