Could Your Child's Immune System Hinge on whether you have a Vaginal or Cesarean Birth?

There's no argument that when a cesarean becomes truly necessary, it is a blessing.  But apparently whether it was necessary or not, a cesarean birth puts your child at a serious disadvantage in terms of his immune system.  A new survey finds that babies born via cesarean section had  different bacteria on their skin, noses mouths and rectums than babies born vaginally, putting them at higher risk for developing allergies, asthma and other immune system–related troubles.  Babies born vaginally were colonized predominantly by Lactobacillus, which indicates that those born by cesarean are at higher risk for yeast and mold overgrowth due to a lack of beneficial bacteria.  The C-section babies were colonized by a mixture of potentially nasty bacteria typically found on the skin and in hospitals, such as Staphylococcus and Acinetobacter.

“The vaginal birth was like a fingerprint of mom,” says study coauthor María Domínguez-Bello of the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan.

First-comers to the body are critical for establishing the microbial scene, says pediatrician Josef Neu of the University of Florida in Gainesville. “It’s like a garden where few, if any, seeds have been planted. If you push in one direction you might get a lot of weeds, a lack of diversity,” Neu says. “That can be associated with immune system problems."

So what is a c section mom to do?  Bulk that baby up on probiotics.  You can also treat for yeast and mold with the Yeast Beaters here or if you are a bresatfeeding mom, by taking the capsules the herbs will transfer through your milk.  And most importantly, make sure your baby is getting enough Vitamin D via unfiltered sunlight and/or Cod Liver Oil.

To find out more about infant immunity, please visit Birthologie.com