In a revolutionary new move, scientists have made it possible for babies born via c-section to get healthy bacteria. Most babies born through this method lose out on protective microbial coat, which is usually shared by their peers born the natural way.
Bacteria present in the mouth, gut and skin helps to boost immunity, improve digestion and metabolism in the human body. And while it is accessible to babies born via natural birth, it’s not the same for children born via c-section.
Such babies have different microbes than babies born from natural births.
The report was published in the journal Nature Medicine and is the finding of a pilot study co-led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center. Their study made some additional observations:
- C-section interrupts the ‘education’ provided by microbes that are naturally found during a vaginal birth. These microbes help the baby’s system to differentiate between helpful and disease-causing bacteria.
- The study also found that partial microbiome restoration just after birth is possible in babies born via c-section.
Lead study author and microbiologist Maria Dominguez-Bello, PhD, in a statement released by NYU Langone Mecial Centre says, “Our study is the first to demonstrate that partial microbiome restoration just after birth is possible in babies born by C-section.”
The authors also mentioned that past studies have shown that infants delivered vaginally shelter bacterial communities resembling those of the mother’s vagina, which eventually helps them with better immunity and overall health.
Procedure of the study
The study was conducted in two steps:
- The researchers swabbed newborn babies born via c-section with their mother’s vaginal fluid.
- Researchers then monitored the infants for 30-days.
They observed that children who were swabbed had (if not all) some microbiomes present in children born via natural birth. The research team collected samples from 18 infants and their mothers, including seven born vaginally and 11 delivered by scheduled c-section, four of which were exposed to vaginal fluids.
Advantage of the study for c-section babies
The study has paved way for further research on developing better ways to boost immunity of babies born via c-section. Further studies on the subject will also help understand the health impact of microbial differences.
Read: Numbers of c-section have gone up. Here’s why!
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