( Diseases in childhood and later in life are potentially mediated by the disturbances in the colonisation of infant gut microbes. The gut of a foetus is sterile. It gets its first exposure to microbiome as it passes inside the mother’s birth canal. This opportunity is denied during C- section.)
I work in a hospital where all the deliveries are done by cesarean section only, 100%. Because we cannot afford vaginal delivery. You see, vaginal delivery necessitates trial labour over 24 hours. You need round the clock O&G support: at least 4 sets of doctors, sisters and OT staff. We have only one Gynaecologist, one Paediatrician and two OT nurses. They all are human and need rest, and time for their family. We cannot afford to open the OT for a CS at an instant notice. No wonder most of our deliveries happen as per plan on working days and during day time only. I said most, not all.
While cesarean deliveries have brought comfort to the life of gynaecologists, it has added so many chronic conditions like asthma, allergy, obesity, short attention span, hyper activity and ADHD to the lives of our kids.
What babies being born by CS have to face?
Babies born by C-section, especially before 39 weeks, are more likely to have transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTNB), a condition that makes it harder for them to breathe at first. This is because LABOR helps to SQUEEZE FLUID out of the BABY’S LUNGS. TTNB usually clears up on its own within a day or two.
Increased risk of certain chronic health problems:
Some studies suggest that babies born by C-section may be at slightly increased risk of developing certain health problems later in childhood, such as ASTHMA, ALLERGIES, OBESITY, ADHD and other autism related conditions. The reasons for this are not fully understood, but they may be related to the baby’s loss of opportunity to get exposed to BENEFICIAL BACTERIA in the BIRTH CANAL of mother during a VAGINAL DELIVERY.
The Microbiome Connection:
During vaginal delivery, babies are exposed to their mother’s vaginal bacteria. These bacteria help to “seed” the baby’s gut microbiome, which is the community of microorganisms living in their intestines.
A healthy gut microbiome is crucial for digestion, immune system development, and overall health.
Babies born by C-section miss out on this initial exposure to maternal bacteria and may have a less diverse gut microbiome. C-section delivery might increase the risk of chronic conditions like asthma, allergies, obesity, and even some autoimmune diseases due to immature microbiome.
( This disturbance also occurs when a mother is given antibiotic prophylaxis before delivery, the baby is not breast fed or put on unnecessary antibiotics in the newborn period. )
Microbiota in health and diseases.
Our stomach and intestine ( gut) contains some 100 trillion microbes. ( That is 3 times more than the number of cells we have. In a the genetic content of our microbiata is 3 times more than our own genes. They are 3 times more likely to participate in chronic conditions that we are likely to suffer.)
They take part in the in house synthesis of vitamins, amino acids and lipids for us. They have significant role in our immune system, and have a lot of say on our moods and brain health. ( gut – brain axis.) The relative distribution of microbes is unique to every individuals like their fingerprint..
The microbial community inside the babies gut regulate its immune function. It is mainly inherited from the mother’s birth canal and breast milk. A disturbance in their constitution can induce chronic conditions like the future cardiac problem, cancer, allergy and asthma in the long run.
*Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)*
Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), also known as a stool transplant,is the process of transferring fecal bacteria and other microbes from a healthy individual into another individual. FMT has been used experimentally to treat other gastrointestinal disorders including colitis, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease, cancer and Autism.
The first use of donor feces as a therapeutic agent for food poisoning and diarrhoea was recorded in the Handbook of Emergency Medicine by a Chinese man, Hong Ge, in the 4th century. Later Ming dynasty physician Li Shizen used “yellow soup” ( “golden syrup”) which contained fresh, dry or fermented stool to treat abdominal diseases.”Yellow soup” was made of fecal matter and water, which was drunk by the person.
A missed opportunity.
Vaginal delivery was the natures way of transplanting feral microbiota inside the sterile gut of a foetus. Mother’s microbiota carries the signature composition of the local food, stress and other local conditions to which the mother is exposed during pregnancy. Vaginal delivery is an opportunity to prime the newborn to a similar environment in one go. It is as important as the mother tongue that an infant gets exposed to. This opportunity is missed when a baby is born by cesarean section.
Dr Ramakanta's Ideas 