Almost 8 month old said mama while crying

My son will be 8 months next week. This morning when he was crying to be fed, he very clearly said mama. My husband says it doesn't count as saying a word since he was crying. I say it does count especially since he was crying for food (he's breastfed). So my question is, does saying a word while crying count as saying a word?

Also for context, this isn't his first word. He says "uh oh" and "hey". So he has started saying some things.

Edit: My husband isn't being mean or dismissive. It's a mixture of us being first time parents and genuinely not knowing what counts as first words and him just wanting his son to say Dada first. The disagreement between us is lighthearted and he is not invalidating me.