Seed with Flora
In a Nutshell
When babies are born vaginally and pass through the birth canal, they are exposed to a wide variety of flora. This flora contains bacteria, viruses and fungi that essentially set the foundation of baby’s microbiome. When babies are in the womb, they are contained in a bag of sterile fluid. If bacteria are exposed to a fetus in the womb, that can be detrimental. When a baby is being born vaginally, they are exposed to this flora via their eyes, mouth, ears, nose, and skin.
When a baby is born via cesarean section, they do not get exposed to this flora. We are learning more about the importance of this exposure during the birth process, but evidence already shows that being exposed to this flora plays a big role in a person’s digestive and immune systems.
Dig Deeper
When a baby is born though the birth canal, it is not a sterile procedure. The vagina is no longer shaved or sterilized. This was common practice many years ago, but we now know that exposing baby to the flora in the vagina/birth canal is important to the development of baby’s microbiome.
During a cesarean section, everything is sterilized, as it should be. In addition to the sterile environment, the baby also misses out on being exposed to the flora of the vagina. Studies have shown that babie
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Seed Baby with Vaginal Flora