Ew, gross. But does this explain why the C-section kids have colic?
Posted on 06/16/2024 9:06:48 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
A mother's contribution to the makeup of a newborn baby's microbiota has been well documented. Now a paper shows the important contributions that fathers make to the composition of microorganisms colonizing a baby's gut as well.
Furthermore, the study confirmed that maternal fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) in babies born by cesarean section can help to correct the microbiota disturbances often observed in babies who are not born vaginally.
Fetuses have sterile gastrointestinal tracts, and babies' bodies are colonized during and shortly after birth. About half of the strains found in infants' bodies can be traced to the maternal gut. This led the researchers to hypothesize that other people who have close contact with the infant could contribute to the rest, providing a stable source of microbial strains associated with good health.
In October 2020, he and colleagues published a proof-of-concept study that confirmed exposing cesarean-born newborns to their mother's microbiota just after birth was both safe and effective at giving the babies a microbial makeup that looks more similar to babies born vaginally. The babies were fed a small amount of their mothers' fecal microbiota shortly after birth.
For the newer study, they compared the fecal microbiomes of 73 infants; 21 were born by cesarean section and 52 were born vaginally. They longitudinally collected samples for over a year and compared the microbiota of the babies to those of both their mothers and fathers.
The researchers discovered that many of the strains found in the babies at three weeks, three months, and 12 months originated in the father, not in the mother. These include Bifidobacterium longum strains, which are known to utilize mother's milk oligosaccharides but counterintuitively may originate from the father rather than the mother.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
It seems to me a lot of this gets inside of the baby when the baby puts their fingers into their mouth or when they are fed something your mouth first tasted. They carry whatever bacteria into their gut, then.
I was born by c-section, and I doubt anyone fed me post-birth “small amounts” of maternal fecal matter, so I guess I missed out on something. Oh wells.
No s**t !
Thread winner!
I have to laugh at the effort to include me.
FATHERS DAY!
( excuse my cynicism)
Ew, gross. But does this explain why the C-section kids have colic?
My first baby had thrush, caught from me while being born normally. The doctor gave him antibiotics which must have messed up his gut because he had severe colic for nine months until I fed him a little yogurt. His little brother had mild colic for about 3 months. He also would start running around a lot about 15 minutes before having a bowel movement as he got older.
Both boys had a colonoscopy recently (now in their early 50s). They both had a sharp bend in their colon that made it difficult for the doctors to insert the instrument. When the little one would scream and cry, I found that pressing down on his belly was helpful. I guess it reduced some kind of gas or fecal pressure at that bend in the colon. However, I would recommend that anyone with a colic suffering baby provide yogurt or other probiotic in a small amount providing the doctor does not have a GOOD reason why they should not have some. I was NOT feed yogurt regularly, it was just a taste, but it apparently did the job.
My son was a normal birth and did have colic...more likely caused by my not breast feeding him...this was many years ago before...and no one encouraged breast feeding then...and I was young and stoopid.
And secondly, why didn’t they insert it rectally instead of “feeding” it? Eww!
Very interesting!
Also, since I’m a grandma, I can only observe what the young moms are doing. I noticed one had some probiotic drops to give her newborn. Never heard of them when mine was a baby decades ago.
On behalf of a friend who was coooking for her daughter postpartum (and in turn the daughter’s new breastfed baby), I checked out some breastfeeding recipe sites. @e didn’t even have internet in the dark ages when I had mine. But what surprised me were some of the food items I surely ate then that were considered irritating to breastfed infants, such as PARSLEY. What? Of course garlic, which I’m sure I ate plenty of, since I love Italian food.
I’m glad someone is researching these details now. It is terrible to have to comfort a wailing baby for over an hour every evening until they can start solid food—you feel so awful for them!
I breast fed both my sons in the early 1970s. I watched my mother breast feed my brothers right after WW2 (later 1940s). My son with the severe colic was for 9 months as my milk was running out from returning to my job, and continual sleep deprivation from crying baby.ays,
My second son was one month early and had aspiration pneumonia so was in hospital for a week. I was sent home after 3 days, but kept pumping my milk. I also visited my son twice a day to talk to him and stroke his body with love. He nursed for almost 2 1/2 years. When about a year old he began to resist wearing his pajamas. He would lie there looking angrily at my bare breast, and kicking a little at my leg. I spoke with him about this recently. He actually remembered his thinking then. He said he learned forgiveness then because if he did not forgive me, he would not be able to take the breast. When he would first start to nurse his body would be stiff, but soon he would relax and after a while start to pat my arm. He is a very mellow laid back guy.
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