The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS,
a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS,
a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
|
The AMA wants to make birth centers illegal, along with homebirths,
even though
Read more about the ACOG 2008 Press Release from The Big Push for Midwives and Childbirth Connections You can also educate yourself week-by-week in your pregnancy with theLamaze Weekly Pregnancy Newsletter for Parents |
Secrets of Baby
Guts from Science Friday Podcast, w/Dr Chana Palmer, Program Director,
Canary Foundation, San Jose, CA
In a normal, healthy birth, a baby is born sterile. Nature intended
that the baby pick up normal skin bacteria from the mother, since the mother
and baby both typically will already have immunity to those germs, or they
will be benign germs. If the baby is colonized with germs from other
non-family members or from non-family household items, such as sheets or
blankets, problems could result. As Michel Odent, MD, says, "The
first germs on the baby's skin will rule the kingdom."
Many of the probiotics that are especially helpful to newborns have lost their usefulness to adults, so it's especially easy for them to be wiped out by a course or two of antibiotics. If this happens, the mom doesn't have them to pass along to the baby, which is how problems can arise.
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking in the refrigerated supplements section at Whole Foods, and they had two new probiotics formulas "for babies", but I assume they would be helpful to a pregnant woman to help colonize her gut with these newborn-supportive probiotics.
Does anyone have specialized knowledge about what and when would be
especially helpful for a pregnant woman to take during pregnancy to support
her newborn at birth?
Microbes
Colonize a Baby’s Gut with Distinction
Of
microbes and men - Bacteria disappearing from our bodies may harm human
health [Boston Globe, 2/25/08]
Why
We Develop Food Allergies - Author Per Brandtzaeg explains how oral
tolerance is established in the first months of life and the factors that
influence this process, including the role of breastfeeding and the
advantage of vaginal delivery for inoculating babies with healthy bacteria.
Recovery
of potential pathogens and interfering bacteria in the nasopharynx of otitis
media-prone children and their smoking and nonsmoking parents.
Brook I, Gober AE.
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2005 Jun;131(6):509-12.
CONCLUSIONS: A high recovery rate of potential pathogens and a low number
of interfering organisms were observed in OMP children.
Earache-prone kids tend to carry more bacteria - [6/20/05, Reuters] - Children who suffer frequent ear infections -- otitis media -- often harbor high numbers of the bacteria that cause the infections, and a low number of organisms that inhibit growth of the disease-causing bugs, a small study indicates.
Drs. Brook and Gober conclude that otitis-media-prone children exhibit "a high recovery rate of potential pathogens and a low number of interfering organisms." They comment that "therapeutic colonization" of the nose and throat of parents with harmless interfering organisms might be worth looking into, as way of reducing the number of disease-causing bacteria and thereby the number of ear infections in their children.
See also: Bathing Baby
See also: Umbilical Cord Care
Typically, babies are sterile until they come into contact with the extrauterine world, i.e. beyond the cervix.
Sometimes babies are born with some blood or mucous in their hair or in a few spots, and some parents may choose to do some spot washing. If there is white, creamy vernix on the baby's skin, this can be rubbed in or left to be absorbed, as it will protect the baby's skin.
The reason that hospital personnel are so eager to bathe newborns is that the baby is assumed to be a source of germs in the same way that the birth canal is a source of germs. They are concerned that they might be exposed to some of these germs if the baby isn't thoroughly scrubbed with disinfectants shortly after birth. However, they can easily wear gloves to handle the baby, and this actually protects the baby from *their* germs. So it's very reasonable to decline the ritual bathing of the newborn. Hospital personnel then may put a note on your baby's bassinet to remind them to wear gloves when handling your baby; just watch them to make sure that they *change* their gloves before handling your newborn so they don't contaminate your baby with germs from other babies or the hospital environment.
Does
bathing newborns remove potentially harmful pathogens from the skin?
Medves JM, O'Brien B.
Birth. 2001 Sep;28(3):161-5.
"The findings did not support the efficacy of bathing with soap and
water to reduce skin colonization of bacterial pathogens"
Factors
influencing the composition of the intestinal microbiota in early infancy.
Penders J, Thijs C, Vink C, Stelma FF, Snijders B, Kummeling I, van
den Brandt PA, Stobberingh EE.
Pediatrics. 2006 Aug;118(2):511-21.
CONCLUSIONS: . . . Term infants who were born vaginally at home
and were breastfed exclusively seemed to have the most "beneficial" gut
microbiota (highest numbers of bifidobacteria and lowest numbers of C difficile
and E coli).
Here's an interesting study about the significance of the germs that colonize the baby's digestive tract:
Friendly
Microbes Control Intestinal Genes, Study Finds - "One of our
findings is that microbes are able to regulate intestinal genes involved
in breaking down foods into simpler units that can be absorbed," explains
Gordon. "This raises the question of whether there are variations in the
types of intestinal microbes between individual humans, and how such differences
affect our nutritional status, our health and our predisposition to certain
diseases." According to Gordon, answering this question might shed light
on human diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome
and other disorders. Understanding the regulation of intestinal barrier
functions might even reveal how some microbes affect our susceptibilities
to food and other allergies. [Hooper LV, Wong MH, Thelin A, Hansson
L, Falk PG, Gordon JI. Molecular analysis of commensal host-microbial relationships
in the intestine. Science, Feb. 2, 2001. ]
From The first hour following birth by Michel Odent, MD [4th September 2002]
"Perspective six. The bacteriological point of view
"At birth, a baby is germ-free. An hour later there are millions of
germs covering her mucous membranes. To be born is to enter the world of
microbes. The question is - which germs will be the first to colonize the
baby's body? Bacteriologists know that the winners of the race will be
the rulers of the territory. The germ environment of the mother is already
familiar and friendly from the perspective of the newborn because mother
and baby share the same antibodies (IgG). In other words, from a bacteriological
point of view, the newborn human baby urgently needs to be in contact with
only one person - her mother. If we add that early consumption of colostrum
will help establish an ideal gut flora, there is no doubt that, from a
bacteriological point of view, the hour following birth is a critical period
with life long consequences. Our gut flora can be presented as an aspect
of our personality that cannot be easily modified later on in life."
According to Gordon, answering this question might shed light on human
diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and
other disorders.
I'd like to add necrotizing enterocolitis, on an individual level, which
as I understand it is when a portion of the intestines actually rots and
must be surgically removed. It is a condition which is linked to
withholding breastmilk to use substitutions, and was more common when all
babies went to the nursery for 24 hour periods and were fed sugar water
or formula. The babies' intestines were therefore not colonized with
the beneficial bacteria within the mother's milk which helps to protect
against this condition. Of course there are other predisposing factors,
"including perinatal hypotension, hypoxia, or sepsis, as well as umbilical
catheters, exchange transfusions, and the feeding of cow milk and hypertonic
solutions" (Williams Obstetrics, 21st ed, p 1073). Another potential
tool in breastfeeding education. Help prevent needless gastrointestinal
surgery for your newborn baby.
Friendly Help
for Your Baby's Health - It is not only adults who benefit from these
friendly bacteria. Breast-fed babies generally have a lower incidence of
colic and other digestive disturbances than bottle-fed babies, and this
has been attributed to friendly microorganisms in the digestive system
whose growth is encouraged by mother's milk.
Natren produces a probiotic product designed specifically for infants.
Life
Start is made with Bifidobacterium infantis - the beneficial bacteria
which is most prominent in infants. This can be beneficial for newborn
thrush, newborn diarhea or diaper rash.
Origin of digestive
flora in new born babies - more than 99% of the intestinal flora of
a healthy breast-fed infant should be made up of Bifidobacterium infantis
(B. infantis). BioFlora makes a product called Infantiflora, containing
B. infantis.
Long-term
consumption of infant formulas containing live probiotic bacteria: tolerance
and safety.
Saavedra JM, Abi-Hanna A, Moore N, Yolken RH.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Feb;79(2):261-7.
Long-term consumption of formulas supplemented with B. lactis and S.
thermophilus was well tolerated and safe and resulted in adequate growth,
reduced reporting of colic or irritability, and a lower frequency of antibiotic
use. [Ed. It's possible that they missed the mark on this study and should
have been studying Bifidobacterium infantis (B. infantis), the bacteria
most naturally found in an infant's gut.]
Improving
health with bacteria in diet - `PROBIOTICS' RESEARCH AT UCSF HOLDS
PROMISE [9/20/06]
By Kendra Marr, Mercury News
Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco are seeking
volunteers for a study in which newborns will be fed live bacteria in hopes
it will keep them asthma-free.
Clinical Trial
for Asthma and Eczema - The Impact of Perinatal Daily Supplement of
a Probiotic (Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG), Given to Mothers, on Immunological
Development, Atopic Sensitisation and Allergic Disease in Their Off-Spring
Another
Clinical Trial for Asthma and Eczema - Influence of Probiotics on Prevention
of Atopy, Atopic Disease and Immunological Responses
See also: Laundry Issues
since delicate newborn skin may react to dry cleaning fluid or even ordinary
household laundry products.
See also: Eczema
In a recent
study, Kukkonen and her colleagues gave a probiotic containing four
strains of gut bacteria to 461 infants labeled as high risk for developing
allergic disorders. After two years, the children were 25 percent less
likely than those given a placebo to develop eczema, a type of allergic
skin inflammation. The study was published in the January issue of Journal
of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. [from Hacking
Your Body's Bacteria for Better Health ]
Clinical Trial
for Asthma and Eczema - The Impact of Perinatal Daily Supplement of
a Probiotic (Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG), Given to Mothers, on Immunological
Development, Atopic Sensitisation and Allergic Disease in Their Off-Spring
Another
Clinical Trial for Asthma and Eczema - Influence of Probiotics on Prevention
of Atopy, Atopic Disease and Immunological Responses
Effects
of probiotics on atopic dermatitis: a randomised controlled trial.
Weston S, Halbert A, Richmond P, Prescott SL.
Arch Dis Child. 2005 Sep;90(9):892-7.
CONCLUSION: Supplementation with probiotic L fermentum VRI-003
PCC is beneficial in improving the extent and severity of AD in young children
with moderate or severe disease.
WedMD
- A new study shows children of women who took supplements of Lactobacillus
rhamnosus GG (Lactobacillus GG) around the time of childbirth were
half as likely to develop atopic eczema by age 4 than those who did not.
Probiotics
and prevention of atopic disease: 4-year follow-up of a randomised placebo-controlled
trial.
Kalliomaki M, Salminen S, Poussa T, Arvilommi H, Isolauri E.
Lancet. 2003 May 31;361(9372):1869-71.
Perinatal administration of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus
strain GG (ATCC 53103), reduces incidence of atopic eczema in at-risk
children during the first 2 years of life (infancy). We have therefore
assessed persistence of the potential to prevent atopic eczema at 4 years.
Atopic disease was diagnosed on the basis of a questionnaire and a clinical
examination. 14 of 53 children receiving lactobacillus had developed atopic
eczema, compared with 25 of 54 receiving placebo (relative risk 0.57, 95%
CI 0.33-0.97). Skin prick test reactivity was the same in both groups:
ten of 50 children previously given lactobacillus compared with nine of
50 given placebo tested positive. Our results suggest that the preventive
effect of lactobacillus GG on atopic eczema extends beyond infancy.
C-section boosts diarrhea, allergy risk - [10/25/04] - Archives of Disease in Childhood 2004; 89: 993-7
Could mode of delivery influence the neonatal immune response? - Cesarean section may increase the risk of diarrhea and allergy in susceptible babies, German researchers suggest.
Caesarean
Birth May Raise Allergy Risk in Babies
Wed Oct 20, 2004 07:08 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Being born by Caesarean section may increase a baby's risk of suffering from food allergies and diarrhea in the first year of life, German doctors said on Thursday.
"The researchers suspect that in babies born by Caesarean section the
colonisation of natural bacteria in the gut which promotes health and plays
an important role in the immune system response is delayed or altered by
a Caesarean birth."
Child's Cavity Risk Linked to Cesarean Delivery
Mode
of Delivery and Other Maternal Factors Influence the Acquisition of Streptococcus
mutans in Infants.
Li Y, Caufield PW, Dasanayake AP, Wiener HW, Vermund SH.
J Dent Res. 2005 Sep;84(9):806-11.
"[T]hose delivered by Caesarean section acquired S. mutans 11.7 mos
earlier than did vaginally delivered infants (p = 0.038)."
Caesarean
section and gastrointestinal symptoms, atopic dermatitis, and sensitisation
during the first year of life.
Laubereau B, Filipiak-Pittroff B, von Berg A, Grubl A, Reinhardt D,
Wichmann HE, Koletzko S; GINI Study Group.
Arch Dis Child. 2004 Nov;89(11):993-7.
"Caesarean delivery might be a risk factor for diarrhoea and sensitisation
in infants with family history of allergy. Further research in this area
seems warranted as choosing caesarean section becomes increasingly popular."
Mode
of delivery and risk of allergic rhinitis and asthma.
Bager P, Melbye M, Rostgaard K, Stabell Benn C, Westergaard T.
J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003 Jan;111(1):51-6
"People who were born by cesarean section are 33% more likely to develop
asthma than people who were delivered spontaneously."
Dental Microbial Colonization
Child's Cavity Risk Linked to Cesarean Delivery
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