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Moms must push for healthier babies, Japanese scientists say

A baby born naturally is exposed to high amounts of beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus, which significantly decreases the newborn's risk of suffering from certain immune system disorders like asthma and allergies. According to new scientific studies by Japanese scientists that strongly back normal delivery against the Caesarian route, 95% of the vaginal fluid of a mother is beneficial bacteria that are transferred to the baby. They then go on to colonize the newborn's intestine.

C-section babies, on the other hand, are colonized by a mixture of potentially nasty bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Acinetobacter, typically found on the skin and in hospitals.

C-sec babies don't get good bacteria

The type of bacteria on newborns' skin is a big factor influencing his gut glorahome to millions of bacteria that are crucial determinants of our immune response against several diseases.

Professor Yuichiro Yamashiro , a professor of pediatrics and adolescents' medicine in Tokyo, says the bacteria transferred from the mother to the child influences the development of its digestive and immune systems.

"Babies born though normal delivery are better protected , thanks to the good bacteria that is transferred into them from the mother's vaginal fluid. Our studies, therefore , say that if a baby born to a mother who suffers from asthma or allergies or belongs to a family with history of such diseases, is given probiotics like Lactobacillus, it greatly reduces the newborn's chances of suffering from similar diseases," Prof Yamashiro told TOI. Probiotics are good bacteria which are similar to beneficial micro organisms found in the human gut. A normal human digestive tract contains trillions of microorganisms (intestinal flora), including thousands of species of bacteria that together weight nearly 1.5 kg.

The definition of probiotics according to FAO and WHO is "live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host" . Prof Yamashiro also referred to a similar study conducted by Australian researchers which said that vaginal birth gives babies a bacterial advantage.

The study from researchers at the Australia's School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of New South Wales claimed babies delivered vaginally received protective bacteria as they pass through the birth canal. Left on the baby's skin, this bacteria then colonized the baby's intestine and helped inoculate him or her against immediate and future germs and illnesses.

These findings were apparently based on research showing that white blood cells in babies born by Caesarean were different to those born vaginally, potentially altering the way their bodies responded to attacks on their immune systems for the rest of their lives.

This latest study should deter Indian women from unnecessarily going under the knife during child birth. Nearly 1 in 10 women in India, who gave birth from 2005-10 , went under the knife. Deliveries through Caesarian are steadily increasing in India raising serious doubts on whether doctors are needlessly exposing women and infants to surgical risks.

The World Health Statistics 2012 released recently said 9% of all births in India were by Caesarian section.