When the baby begins to cry with tears. When do babies cry and what do you need to know about them? Preventing eye problems in babies

Tears do not appear immediately in newborns. At what exact moment this occurs depends on physiology. Some babies develop faster, and some slower. Immediately after birth, tears do not flow from any baby.

Tears do not appear in a child immediately, but their prolonged absence indicates a pathology that requires treatment.

For the first months of their lives, babies cry without tears. They can make a dissatisfied face, corresponding to a crying state, but their eyes will remain dry. This is because children's tear ducts open only 1-1.5 months after birth.

Tear ducts do not form in the womb because the baby's eyes are washed there by amniotic fluid, and tears are not needed in this case.

When a child is comfortable, he does not express any emotions. The facial muscles are not yet fully developed to express feelings in any special way. But if the child is not comfortable, he is hungry or cold, he announces his dissatisfaction by screaming. In this case, the baby’s face resembles a cry, but there are no tears in the eyes. This is because the facial muscles develop faster than the tear ducts.

Until the child begins to cry, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the baby's eyes.

The mucous membranes of a newborn's eyes are very dry and thin. It is necessary to examine the child’s eyes daily to ensure that they do not turn red. Before tears appear, the baby’s eyes need to be washed by the parents. Otherwise, they will dry out or dust will accumulate in them, which will lead to inflammation. The child's eyes need to be washed regularly 2 times a day: morning and evening. This can be done with an ordinary cotton swab dipped in boiled water. Instead of plain water, you can use an infusion of chamomile. It is prepared from 1 tsp. dried chamomile flowers and 1 cup of boiling water, infuse for 30 minutes.

Whatever eye solution you choose, it should be room temperature. Hot or cold liquid can cause the eye to fester. You need to wipe the eye with a wet cotton swab, from the outer corner to the inner one. If the mother is breastfeeding, then the baby's eyes can be instilled with breast milk. You need to drip 2 drops into each, and directly from the chest.

When the baby starts to cry, the mother should make sure that they flow from both eyes. If fluid does not appear on one side, this may indicate that the space of the lacrimal canal is too narrow, its suppuration or dysfunction of the lacrimal glands. Therefore, you need to consult a doctor for help and start an examination to find out the cause.

The sooner the cause of dysfunction is identified, the greater the chances of successfully treating it. If the tears appear white, this also indicates the development of an infection. In this case, it is recommended to instill the child’s visual organs with a solution of furatsilin.

It is necessary to diagnose the cause of the child’s lack of tears as quickly as possible and begin treatment.

If tears don't appear for a long time

There is no clear definition in how many months tears should appear. It all depends on the baby’s development: for some a little earlier, for others a little later. But by 4 months, tears should appear in all babies. If this does not happen, then this may indicate a blockage of the tear ducts. The first tears should soften the plugs of amniotic fluid that plug the canals. But in 5% of babies, the canals may be narrow, and the plug simply cannot come out. In this case, you need to consult an ophthalmologist. He will prescribe special softening drops to clean the canals.

In addition to using drops, you can give your child a special massage that stimulates the excretory tract. To do this, you need to gently massage the inner corner of the eye clockwise with your little fingers 5 times a day. If drops and massage do not help, and suppuration occurs, a bougienage procedure may be prescribed. Its essence lies in the fact that a small probe is inserted into the tear duct, which clears the paths for tears and makes the ducts wider.

If there are no problems with tear production, then this is not at all a reason not to visit an ophthalmologist. The doctor should regularly examine the baby's vision organs to check whether they are developing normally. He will look at whether the eyelids function well, whether the child is able to see, whether the optical media are transparent.

The function of the fluid secreted by the lacrimal glands in the womb is performed by amniotic fluid, so newborns have no tears after birth. The body, including the eyes, of a newborn is not yet fully formed. In addition, he is forced to adapt to a new environment; his development will take some period of time.

Why are there no tears?

The absence of tears when crying is dictated by the physiology of the body. The baby was inside the mother for a long time, having passed through the birth canal and finding himself in new conditions, he squints and sees poorly. This is completely normal; the development of visual functions will occur over the course of six months. In addition, after birth in the first month of life, the child begins to actively develop all internal organs and body systems, including the eyes. They do not develop at the same time; the nasolacrimal ducts are ready to work after 1-1.5 months.

The main reason for the absence of tears is considered to be the obstruction of the lacrimal canal, closed by a mucous plug, which prevented the ingress of fetal fluid into them.
When to expect tears?
Immediately after birth, the baby's tear ducts are still clogged, which explains the lack of secretion from them.
From the first minutes of birth, the baby begins to cry, but the parents still do not see the tears. The whole point is that the child must adapt to the new environment. The process of resorption of the gelatin-like film in the baby's tear ducts began immediately after birth, but it will take more than one week to complete.

Normal for the appearance of tears
According to doctors, full dilation begins from the end of 1 month to the middle of the second. Therefore, mothers may notice the first tears in babies either after 3 weeks or a little later, and this is the norm for such children. The situation shows what happens to every baby individual development, and lacrimation will not start appearing for everyone at the same time.
Parents should know that upon reaching the required age, the baby’s tears will be released synchronously from both eyes at once. There may be many of them at once or, conversely, the number of tears will be minimal. But both options are normal for babies aged one or two months. If the baby is crying, and tears appear only from one eye, it means that the lacrimal canal is not fulfilling its functions. There may be several reasons for the malfunction; to find out, you need to seek help from an ophthalmologist.
Daily care

At first, it is important to pay attention to washing the baby’s vision organs.
During the period of cork resorption, hygiene procedures are very important. Rinsing your baby's eyes in the morning and evening will help speed up the process of the film disappearing. For cleansing, a chamomile solution is suitable, which is brewed according to the following recipe:
For 1 tbsp. l. dried flowers you will need 250 ml of boiling water.
Chamomile is poured and infused for half an hour.
Use a cotton swab soaked in the broth that has cooled to room temperature to wipe the eyes, from the outer corner to the inner one.

Why can there be no tears for a long time?
You need to constantly remain attentive to the baby’s health condition. Sometimes the baby is at a normal age for tears to appear, but they do not flow. This may indicate that the tear duct is clogged, and this situation is not uncommon among infants. Tears are produced but cannot come out, even when babies cry. They accumulate inside, which leads to gluing of the eyes.
Sometimes tears may flow, but the baby does not cry. This also suggests that the plug in the tear ducts has not yet dissolved. In addition, the following additional reasons are identified that affect the opening of passages:
narrow passages;
underdevelopment of function;
serous disease;
inflammatory process.

The process of adaptation of a child’s body to life in a dry air environment takes time. Newborns will begin to cry a few weeks after birth.

Most babies, having gone through the necessary cycle intrauterine development, are born without yet being able to do a number of things - for example, cry tears. This function was not needed before; the amniotic fluid did an excellent job of moisturizing and cleansing the eye.

During the first years of life, many of the child’s organs are forced to undergo a process of development and improvement - the baby’s eyes will learn to focus on an object and examine the world in color. A person perceives most information about the world through the eyes; for their normal functioning it is necessary correct work tear duct.

Crying without tears

Young parents are often interested in why newborns cry without tears and at what age they should appear. The reason for the phenomenon is the peculiarities of the development of the baby’s visual organs.

After birth, the body of a newborn is covered with a thin coating. This lubricant protects the child from bacterial attack and minor injuries. But plaque is not only on the skin, it is present on the conjunctiva of the baby’s eyes and clogs the tear duct with a jelly-like plug. During the development of the embryo, this plug closes the tear duct, protecting it from the penetration of amniotic fluid.

In order for it to open, it takes time - usually tearing should begin up to 45 days, although there are unique individuals who can shed tears from the moment of birth.

The main reasons for the later opening of the tear ducts:

immaturity, it takes time to begin functioning, each baby will require an individual period;
the ducts have a peculiarity of development - they are too narrow;
the plug blocking the duct is too thick;
congenital weak channel functionality;
congenital pathology;
acquired inflammatory eye disease.

The development of each baby is individual, and each different time the lacrimal canal will open and the lacrimal glands will begin to function. Until this time, the child cries without tears.

Eye care

After birth, the child is in an unusual air environment, most of the time he sleeps. While awake, the baby's eyes are dry - the eyes are insufficiently moisturized. For greater comfort, the baby needs additional eye care. Sometimes the need for such care is indicated by redness of the eyes and eyelids, and purulent discharge may appear in the corners of the eyes. This phenomenon does not go away on its own, so parents should cleanse the baby’s eyes in the morning.

When washing the baby, use a clean cotton pad moistened with warm water to thoroughly but carefully rinse the eyes, moving from ear to nose, using a separate pad for each eye. This procedure is carried out in the evening during daily bathing. Traditional medicine recommends using for this procedure breast milk.

If symptoms of redness or purulence of the eyes are observed, the child should be seen by a doctor. Washing helps a lot (the solution must be very weak) or . Potassium permanganate must be diluted, carefully ensuring that all grains of the substance dissolve.

To prepare a chamomile decoction, you should use chamomile packaged in bags, which are steamed in a cup. One sachet requires 100 grams of hot water. To rinse, the infusion must be cooled to room temperature.

If you have a pharmaceutical herb, then for brewing take a teaspoon of herb per 100 grams of boiling water. After the infusion has cooled slightly, it should be filtered through several layers of gauze and used for rinsing.

First tears

The lacrimal glands begin to work in a baby 45-60 days after birth, until this time the newborn cries without tears. After their appearance, the plug that seals the tear duct begins to dissolve more actively. Until the free flow of fluid through the ducts is completely restored, moisture will not be released freely.

According to Dr. Komarovsky, with normally developed channels, tears flow into the nasopharynx, the process is painless, children and mothers do not notice how moisture appears and flows.

Such babies will be able to cry normally by the age of three months. When tears appear in a crying baby, they come in different ways - for some they are large, like peas, for others they will be small single droplets.

If there is no free outflow, then accumulating in the ducts, the newborn's tears will provoke irritation of the nasal mucosa, causing inexplicable snot. Stagnation of moisture and a runny nose make the child capricious, the whites of the eyes may turn red, and when pressure is applied to the nose and forehead, the child will grimace and cry.

If a similar situation persists, the child should be shown to a doctor. The diagnosis will be, to correct the situation the baby needs help.

Doctor's help

After the baby turns one month old, the baby needs to be shown to a doctor. Such routine examinations should be carried out after the child reaches the age of three months, six months and one year.

Purpose of examination by a specialist:

baby's eye condition;
determining the correct structure of the eye;
determining the approximate date of opening of the nasolacrimal duct;
eyesight check;
providing recommendations to parents on caring for their child’s eyes;
prescription of necessary therapeutic measures.

At six months of age, the doctor will be interested in the coordination of visual and grasping reflexes, the child’s ability to clearly perceive objects and his visual acuity. By this age, the lacrimal canal should be functioning normally, the baby is able to cry with big amount tears.

To determine the quality of functioning of the tear ducts, the ophthalmologist performs a special color test. For this:

A colored solution is dropped into the baby's eyes (it can be a yellow solution of furatsilin);
Cotton swabs are inserted into the nostrils;
After 10 minutes, the amount of colored liquid in the eyes and the appearance of paint on the swabs are assessed.

If staining does not occur, obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct is determined.

To restore the patency of the nasolacrimal ducts, the doctor may prescribe a massage to the child. His mother performs it for the child at home on her own.

If the doctor decides that it is necessary to restore the patency of the ducts, the ophthalmologist will perform a minor intervention using local anesthesia.

The child's eyes are instilled with a special composition, then a probe is used to widen the tear duct. After the procedure, it is cleared of the plug and becomes free for the outflow of moisture, and tears appear in the baby’s eyes.

Tear duct massage

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The cause is a violation in the opening of the lacrimal canal or the appearance of strands (adhesions) in it, preventing the outflow of tears. The fluid accumulating in the lacrimal sac causes discomfort, and when an infection occurs, pus appears. Sometimes antibiotics are prescribed in such cases, but most effective way treatment is a massage that will restore outflow and relieve inflammation.

Massage helps to open the second duct and push out the plug that was in it. To perform a massage you need:

wash your hands thoroughly with unscented soap and warm water;
prepare a clean cotton pad;
Gently press the skin under the eye tubercle with your fingertips;
massage first under one eye, then under the second eye for one to two minutes;
Carefully remove the contents separated from the lacrimal canal with a cotton pad.

Massage is carried out 5-6 times a day for a minute. The procedure is painless, and if performed correctly, the child should not cry. The opening of the canal and the release of the birth plug occurs 2-3 days after the start of the massage.

Additionally, the child’s eyes should be washed with chamomile, potassium permanganate, and furatsilin solution. The doctor must tell you which solution to use and what its concentration! After tears appear in the second eye, you need to show the child to the doctor again to make sure that the disease has passed.

Parents should carefully monitor the baby and immediately consult a doctor if the appearance of tears is delayed - visual acuity and the baby’s future development depend on this.

After the baby is born, parents “conduct hidden surveillance” of him every hour: when he yawned, when he sneezed for the first time and why, when he cried, and what was the reason for this, why his tummy grumbles, why he does not respond to sounds, etc. Future mom must know everything and even more about her child, be careful about changes in his condition, see how he grows and what happens along with it. The question of when newborns cry is very interesting, since it is related to the manifestation of emotions, so we will connect these two concepts. It is known that the emotional sphere of a newborn is undeveloped, so tears as a reaction to pain, hunger and fear may not appear immediately, but 2-3 weeks after birth.

Why does the baby cry without tears?

When a child cries, they say that in this way he communicates with the outside world and declares himself: loudly and persistently. If the baby feels comfortable, then he is calm, but in the first days he does not experience emotions of joy from communicating with his mother, because he does not yet know how to smile. Let us remind you that when expressing various emotions, primarily the facial muscles are involved, and in newborns they are not yet controlled by the subcortex. While crying, the baby's facial expressions unconsciously change, and tears, as a result of changes in the muscular corset of the face (a grimace of resentment or pain appears), should also appear. But the child’s systems and organs do not develop simultaneously during the period from birth to one month.

So, the tear ducts begin to function normally only after a month and a half. Sometimes this happens faster, and very rarely, when the baby can shed tears, starting from the first day of birth: it all depends on individual development.

When intrauterine development occurs, tears are not needed; their function is performed by amniotic fluid. But mom needs to know that tears must appear in two eyes at the same time. If she sees that the baby is crying with only one eye, then there is a certain problem; it may lie in suppuration of the canal, in a narrow space inside it, or in dysfunction. To figure it out, let's start looking for the reason for this manifestation.

Waiting for the first tear

While the tear duct is not fully functioning, the mother needs to wash the baby’s eyes in the morning and evening before bed. At breastfeeding It is recommended to drop 2 drops of milk directly from the breast into the eyes. You can use a solution of pharmaceutical chamomile, which is brewed as follows: for a glass of boiling water you need one teaspoon of dry herb, which is allowed to brew for half an hour. Any solution must be at room temperature, otherwise, if the lacrimal canal remains uncleaned from amniotic fluid, suppuration may occur (from an elevated temperature, the infection will begin to multiply quickly, and the child will develop pus in the tubules). Sufficient for daily hygiene procedures boiled water, with which a cotton swab is moistened and the baby’s eyes are wiped from the outer corners to the inner ones.

If the tear duct is blocked

When a baby does not show tears by three months, it means there is a problem with the tear ducts. If there is a blockage, you need to use special drops prescribed by the ophthalmologist, which have a softening effect. Along with intensive treatment Canal massage is used, for this you need to massage the inner corner of the eye with your little fingers clockwise. This is done up to 5 times a day. If pus appears in the corners, a simple bougienage procedure will help (it is carried out using a thin probe that is inserted into the lacrimal canal, making it a little wider). Furacilin solution also helps with suppuration of the tear ducts, making the tears not white, but transparent.

With the arrival of a tiny miracle in the family, mom and dad practically don’t take their eyes off him. They watch him when he sleeps, how he eats, yawns, sneezes, cries, and so on, and if something is wrong, panic immediately arises.
A new mother should always know the condition of her baby; moreover, in order for the child to feel good, she must promptly notice any changes in his development. So, many begin to worry when they discover that the baby is crying without tears. In such cases, the question arises: “When do newborns cry?”

Why does a newborn cry without tears?

A newborn organism is born into this world not yet fully formed. Having spent so much time in the womb, surrounded by amniotic fluid, and then closing his eyes to overcome the birth canal, at first the baby sees poorly, does not distinguish colors, and does not even have tears. For a newborn, this is the norm of development; the formation of the visual factor occurs over the course of six months.

The reason for the lack of tears in a child is considered to be a mucus plug, which clogs the tear ducts so that amniotic fluid does not get inside.

When do newborns cry?

An exact answer to the question “When do newborns cry?” Doctors don’t, it all depends on the characteristics of each child individually. The mucus plug that protects the tear duct begins to dissolve from the first days of the baby’s life, and the process can take up to several weeks.

Therefore, for some, tears may appear as early as 2 weeks of age, while for others – 1.5–2 months. Don’t worry if this event happened a little later than for someone you know, because both options are normal.

The day when the long-awaited event occurs, young parents will remember forever. It is impossible not to notice such a touching sight. For the first time, many children simply burst into tears, and some only show a few drops, but for the first time, both are the norm.

Until the tears came, caring mommy should wash the baby’s eyes twice a day (morning and evening) to speed up the process of resorption of the blocked duct. The best option Breast milk is considered to cleanse the baby's visual system, but you can also use a special dried chamomile collection.

How to brew chamomile to wash your eyes:

1 tsp. Pour a glass of boiling water over the herbal mixture and let it brew thoroughly, 30 minutes will be enough. Before washing, be sure to check that the broth should be at room temperature. Otherwise, suppuration may occur in the eyes.

You need to wipe in the direction from the outer corner to the inner.

Sometimes it happens that tears do not enter the eyes within the time limits established by the standards, this means that the baby’s tear duct is clogged. This requires urgent medical intervention.

Blocked tear ducts

As a rule, the absence of tears in a three-month-old baby indicates a serious problem.

Blocked tear ducts in infants are not considered uncommon. The reason for this is untimely rupture of the mucous plug. In this case, tears do not flow out, and liquid accumulates inside. The eyes begin to stick together, the baby feels discomfort and becomes capricious and irritable.

The flow of tears from the eyes when the child is at rest can also indicate that the birth plug has not resolved.

If one of these phenomena occurs, it is necessary to urgently seek help from a specialist, who, in turn, will establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe the necessary treatment.

Treatment

If a child has encountered such a problem as blocked tear ducts, you should not postpone a visit to a specialist and aggravate the situation. An experienced doctor may prescribe the following procedures as treatment:

Rinsing or lotions with special solutions, herbal decoctions, a weak solution of manganese or breast milk.
Eye drops to soften plugs.
Special massage of the nasolacrimal duct.
Probing.

Most often, a simple massage is enough to eliminate the problem. However, if this does not help, then you need to resort to other methods.

Massage is carried out from two to ten times a day. For proper cleansing channel, it is necessary to make circular movements with your fingers in the area of the inner corner of the eye. Without any pressure, gently massage under the tubercle from bottom to top for about two minutes.

This process puts direct pressure from the accumulated liquid on the plug, and over time it will either burst or be squeezed out. As a rule, it takes about several days for lacrimation to recover.

Probing is carried out in extreme cases, when none of the usual methods have shown any result.

What care do baby's eyes require?

Moisturizing and protecting the eyes from various infections is considered the main function of the tear secretion process. Until lacrimation is established, cleansing is the task of the parents.

When examining your baby every day, you should always pay attention to the eyes, and if a problem arises, be sure to fix it.

Important! When using a manganese solution for rinsing, you must be extremely careful. If even one grain gets in, serious complications can arise.

Taking care of your eyes is not difficult at all and it does not take much time. You can even wash them with plain water while bathing using cotton wool or a cotton pad.

Preventing eye problems in babies

Pediatricians often refer infants for preventive care to an ophthalmologist at the age of 1 and 6 months, as well as at 1 and 3 years. This allows you to assess the state of development of the baby’s visual system, and promptly eliminate various troubles, if any.

When the baby is one month old, an ophthalmologist during an examination checks the structure of the formed visual apparatus. Evaluates its performance and transparency of the optical ocular environment. The nasolacrimal duct is also checked. During your appointment, you should ask a specialist to show you how to properly massage to cleanse the tear duct, so that you can be prepared for anything in the future.

During the appointment at six months of age, the coordination of eye movements, the sharpness and clarity of the visual system are assessed. By this point, the baby should definitely be crying with tears.

At one year old, a child already becomes quite mobile, so coordination between the movements of the body and the eye is very important.

When a child grows up and reaches three years old, the acuity of his visual apparatus is checked using special pictures. Such preventive visits allow you to timely identify and prevent possible anomalies in the baby’s development.

The health of the child is the most important thing. Therefore, parents should not save or postpone visits to the doctor and treatment until later. Correct timely diagnosis makes it possible to avoid negative consequences.