Interesting...so it seems we should do a better job making sure there's every opportunity for the good bacteria to be passed on. So, how does this fit in with c-sections when babies don't pass through the birth canal?
You bring up a good point
From what I've read, the thought is that c-section babies are first colonized with bacteria from their environment - whether its the close contact w/ mom/dad, nurses/drs in the hospital, the air or even just surfaces they innitially come in contact with very soon after birth. The bacterias culture within the first few days of life - the same as what would happen to a vaginally birthed baby.
I have read in many natural parenting circles that this is one of the biggest arguments against c-sections atm, because they are robbing the baby of the chance to get Mom's beneficial flora. Funny, because after I read about it I thought back to all of my friends who have had sections - every single one of them who had sections have some sort of GI issues with their babies... coincidence
? Knowing what I know now, I don't think so.
"The gastrointestinal (GI) tract of a normal fetus is sterile
· the type of delivery has an effect on the development of the intestinal microbiota
o vaginally born infants are colonized with their mother’s bacteria
o cesarean born infants’ initial exposure is more likely to environmental
microbes from the air, other infants, and the nursing staff which serves as
vectors for transfer"
It's that first innitial contact with the world outside the womb that has the greatest impact on what bacterias, fungus, ect get established.
Again, there's always good & bad within all of us, but the key is to have the good outnumber the bad, as the good bacterias create an army to keep the bad guys at bay, kwim?
I posted about this on the "virgin gut" thread, but NCM believes the 3 biggest factors in the "boom" of abnormal gut flora in babies are 1) Increased use of Anti-biotics used by both mother and baby 2) Increased use of the birth control pill and other hormone disrupting contracptive measures by the mother (apparently these hormone imbalances wreak havoc on your intestinal flora which kills the good bacterias 3) The decrease in breastfeeding (since the compounds in FF create an environment ideal for bad bacteria to flourish. Also the FF baby misses out on the immunal factors of BM, thus leaving them prone to more illnesses/infections as a child. So that child is then given abx, which kills off even more good flora and the cycle amplifies)
I completely agree with her, but after much reading on the subject would definitely have to add the increase in c-sections to that list as well. I can't remember if she talks about it in the book or not, but the links are unbelievable!.
