Our zeroeth birthday present

We inherit our microbiomes from our mother, picking up billions of them as we slide from her largely bacteria-free womb through her microbe-laden vagina. Being slathered in vaginal microbes might not seem like much of a treat but it’s vital for a newborn.

Babies end up with a very different portfolio of skin and gut bacteria depending on how they are delivered. Those who are born naturally harbour a more diverse array of bacteria, which resemble those in their mother’s vagina, including several species that are important for digestion. Those who are delivered by C-section are colonised by a less diverse array of bacteria, including some like Staphylococcus that are picked up from the hospital environment.

These early differences could directly affect a baby’s health for these first colonisers determine which the species that will follow. The bacterial heirlooms that babies inherit from their mothers might act as a shield, preventing more dangerous microbes like from setting up shop. By changing baby’s first bacteria, C-sections could alter the make-up of their later communities, leading to long-term effects on health and nutrition.

PS

The above thought provoking extract is from the web.

On a visit to a Private Nursing Home in Avissawella, I casually inquired, how many mothers were awaiting delivery in the labor room for the day. The answer was that there were no patients there and it was literally closed most of the time. Everyone preferred a Caeserian section. The reason for the choice of the latter method of delivery, was not to 'preserve the tubes' as  in the USA. The choice was made in present Sri Lanka, by the mother and extended family, to deliver the newborn at an auspicious time, forecast by an astrologer.