It’s a scene we’re all familiar with, perhaps in movies or on television shows. A woman gives birth (almost always excruciatingly) and is so exhausted afterwards, but the minute the nurses place her newborn child upon her breast, it’s as if the pain ebbs away and the new mother, overwhelmed with feelings of joy, starts crying.

What is it exactly about giving birth that triggers this reaction? Is it purely a glamorized scene in media? Or is there actual scientific data justifying such instances? Does not crying after giving birth make a woman a bad parent? We take a look at the physical and emotional factors associated with giving birth, and ask real moms as well if they can relate to what we call, in this case, “new mommy tears”.

 

Real moms: did they cry or not when they gave birth?

30-year-old Maan Roxas-Tolentino, business development & operations manager of a medical and dental center, and mom to 1-month-old Maria Andrea, says she definitely wept when she first saw her baby. “As a first time parent, I was very ecstatic,” Tolentino explains. I've always imagined how my baby looks like, if she looks like me or his dad. It's just priceless!”

As for Meggie Atutubo-Sta. Maria, 26-year-old mom to 4-month-old Hannah Elise, she says it was her husband who looked like he was going to burst into tears after she gave birth. “When I would look at my daughter after delivery, it was like I couldn’t believe that she came from inside me!” Sta. Maria exclaims. “But I did feel ecstatic and extremely relieved after giving birth.”