Feeding Poop To Caesarean-born Babies

When I first heard that doctors and scientists alike were feeding newborn babies poo, I almost fell off my chair.

Yep. I can hear you saying, “They what?”

Mhhhmm, yes, I’m afraid it’s true. Babies born caesarean are not just getting their feed of milk, in some cases, it comes with a healthy side of their mother’s poop too.

As children, we grow up believing that poop is bad; that it’s a nasty, embarrassing by-product of our food. It smells foul so we shun it and call it ‘waste’. We are warned from a young age that poop is full of germs that apparently have no function other than to contaminate areas where they aren’t allowed and make us sick. However this is not the full story.

The truth is that we rely on poop for much more than digestion of our food, especially newborn babies.

It’s All About The Poop…

Newborns are born with meconium in their gut, which was until recently thought to be sterile. But, In fact, meconium is populated with Ecoli and Lactobacillus, thought to be from the mother’s digestive system.

As the baby moves through the birth canal their mouth fills with bacteria further colonising their digestive system. The kissing and cuddling continues the colonisation process and nutrients in the mother’s breast milk help grow the new bacteria.

It makes sense, right?

But what about caesariean-born babies?

Studies have shown that the intestinal flora of caesarean delivered baby takes much longer to colonise. By the time the microbiome is established it contains a zoo of bacteria all working as a key digestive organ to keep your baby healthy. In other words, because caesarean babies don’t get their mouth-full of poop on their way out, they are at risk of collecting a whole host of unhealthy gut bugs, which may make them sick.

During a Swedish study that compared the health of 24 babies delivered vaginally and by C-section, scientists analysed fecal samples taken a week after birth then five additional times, and took blood samples at 6, 12 and 24 months to check levels of immune system chemicals that may play a role in future allergy problems.

C-section babies had less gut activity “” a lower range of good gut bacteria “” during the first two years of their lives (specifically the Bacteroides phylum that allows the immune system to respond to the right triggers) compared to babies born vaginally.

A 2010 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found infants who were born via C-section had a gut microbiome resembling the mother’s skin, which is much less rich in bacteria.

There are now further investigations into treatments that would normalise the development of the microbiota of C-section babies, including fecal transplants and giving them a daily probiotic.

Medically Speaking…

There are over 500 bacteria and 30,000 subspecies growing in our gut contributing in different ways to our health, including our mental health. Amazingly the gut produces every class of neurotransmitter that is found in the brain including 95% of the body’s serotonin “” not only does serotonin control mood, but many other bodily functions including the movement of food through the gut.

All living creatures rely on a microbiome, a community of ‘good’ bacteria living in harmony with us keeping us healthy. These bacteria live on the skin, mucus membranes and in the gut. When the intestinal microbiome becomes unbalanced through anti-biotics or illness it is called intestinal dysbiosis . Dysbiosis can lead to debilitating physical and mental symptoms and a vicious cycle of ill health perpetuated by inflammation, malnutrition and the development of auto-immune conditions. The exact nature of the illness will depend on the predisposition, lifestyle and genetics of the individual.

This is where poop transplant comes in… also known as…

Fecal Microbiota Transplant

Even the headline makes you quiver, doesn’t it?

Despite the name, think of it is a natural, medication free way to repopulate the intestinal microbiome, or good bacteria. The process involves transferring fecal bacteria from a healthy donor to repopulate the unbalanced gut bacteria of a sick person, or in some new cases, newborn babies and toddlers.

Fecal transplantation isn’t a new idea; the first reported case of someone receiving the treatment was in 1958. Undoubtedly, the “ick” factor has limited its appeal. But given the emerging evidence of effectiveness in some hard-to-treat cases, doctors and patients are taking much more notice.

Are you convinced?