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How to prepare for baby’s birth by optimizing the microbiome of the birth canal for seeding of the newborn immune system with a diversity of beneficial flora for lifelong protection!
May the (probiotic) force be with you.
Today I want to talk about a “force” that is so important to our bodies that we need to ingest it before we even take our first sip of Mama’s milk.
What is this “Force”?
Beneficial microbes, i.e. probiotics. Bacterial cells outnumber our own 10 to 1, with over 1,000 different species being known so far.
Probiotics, and foods with probiotics (ferments), are one of the Top Ten Influences on Immunity, according to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, creator of the GAPS Protocol for digestive and brain healing.
Probiotic Supplementation and Fermented Foods
Our very first introduction to beneficial microbes (or not-so-beneficial) happens as we pass through the birth canal, the so-called the vaginal “gulp”.
It is to be hoped that in this vaginal passage there are more beneficial microbes than non-beneficial, as a large amount of our first inoculation comes from this passing through the birth canal. This starts our intestinal population, that mainly develops in the first 20 or so days of life.
Babies born via C-section develop completely different gut flora than babies birthed vaginally via the birth canal with potentially lifelong negative health consequences such as the increased risk for allergies, asthma and other autoimmune disorders.
One way to compensate for this is to take a swab of the birth canal immediately after the baby is born and put it in the mouth of the baby. It is extra important to supplement with probiotics in the early days of infancy for a C-section baby. Also, even in a vaginal birth, if a mother has an imbalanced microbiota (too common) she will pass that on to her baby at birth. (Stay tuned and I’ll describe how to prepare the vaginal canal for the healthiest start possible for your baby.)
“…it is essential to human health that a probiotic gastrointestinal environment be established and maintained” Dr. Khem Shahani, Phd
Today we have a three-fold probiotic problem:
- Destruction and low numbers of beneficial flora
- Overpopulation of pathogenic flora
- New and resistant pathogenic flora
What damages our gut flora?
- Antibiotics – Penicillins, tetracyclines, antifungal antibiotics
- Processed carbs & sugar (feeds pathogens, changes pH)
- High grain fiber diet
- Prescription drugs (such as pain killers, steroids, etc…drug induced gut dysbiosis can be especially difficult to treat)
- Birth control pill
- Bottle feeding (use homemade formula if not breastfeeding)
- Prolonged fasting or starvation or overeating
- Disease
- Stress
- And much more
Why are probiotic foods and supplements so important?
They help with:
- Gastrointestinal disorders of all kinds
- Anxiety
- Digestion
- Allergies
- Autism
- Bacterial infections
- Chronic viral infections
- Urogenital infections
- Hepatitis, liver cirrhosis & biliary disease
- Tuberculosis
- Meningitis
- Malignancy
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Lower cholesterol & prevent arterial disease
- Weight issues
- Osteoporosis (enhance calcium assimilation & metabolism)
- Burns of various degrees
- Perioperative care and intensive care in surgical patients and patients with massive blood loss
- Clinical infections
- Autoimmune disorders
- Moods
- Produce B vitamins
- Synthesize Vitamin K
- Integrity of our intestinal wall
- More being studied, or haven’t been studied yet
How to choose a probiotic supplement
While specific strains have been studied for certain therapeutic applications, generally it is best to have a variety of species from each of the three main probiotic types:
- Lactobacillus
- Bifidobacterium
- Soil-based
The best probiotic supplement companies
Their products list the genus (i.e. Lactobacillus) species (i.e. acidophilus) and strain (i.e. DDS-1)
Like this: Lactobacillus Acidophilus DDS-1 (or L. Acidophilus DDS-1)
If they are not listed on the bottle, then the company should at least be able to tell you what strains are in their probiotic…if they don’t know, I wouldn’t recommend purchasing from them.
Therapeutic doses
When working on a health issue it is important to work up to a therapeutic dose.
This looks like:
- Infant up to 12 months – 1-2 billion of bacterial cells per day
- Toddler from 1 to 2 years – 2-4 billion of bacterial cells per day
- Child from 2 to 4 years – 4-8 billion of bacterial cells per day
- Child from 4 to 10 years – 8-12 billion of bacterial cells per day
- Child from 12 to 16 years – 12-15 billion per day
- Adults should have around 15-20 billion of bacterial cells per day
A therapeutic dose should be maintained for an average of 6 months to overtake harmful microbes and reestablish beneficial microbes. Following a clean, whole foods diet is essential during this time. If you continue feeding your pathogens in the gut with sugar and processed carbohydrates then the probiotics will not have much chance of helping you.
After six months it’s beneficial to reduce to a maintenance dose of probiotics (usually half of the therapeutic amount) and/or consume fermented foods daily.
“Die-off” symptoms
Whenever you introduce a healing food or supplement it is possible to experience a die-off reaction. Pathogens are dying off and releasing their toxins, which can make you feel miserable if it happens too quickly. Here is what die-off looks like:
- Feeling “off”
- Lacking energy
- More difficulty dealing with stress than usual
- Mood swings & difficulty concentrating
- Any other symptoms typical for you
- For children, this can also show up as bedwetting, moodiness, tiredness, restlessness and any other symptoms typical to your child
Reducing Die-Off
- First, it’s a good sign, it means your probiotics are working
- Introduce probiotics slowly…this may mean as little as 1/8 of a capsule or less
- Increase incrementally to a therapeutic dose, every 3 – 5 days for example
Recommended brands
The Healthy Home Economist Shopping List provides examples of good quality probiotic brands Sarah uses in her home.
Below are a few others to consider, but this list is not all-inclusive.
*If you are not sure about your preferred probiotic brand, Sarah is happy to vet it for you via Healthy Home Plus.
How to give your baby the best possible start
Lastly, let’s talk about preparing the birth canal for labor and delivery.
It is optimal of course to start nourishing your body and microbiota 4 – 5 months before you even conceive, but if you are already expecting I’ve got some steps you can take to populate your vaginal canal pre-birth so that you give your baby the best start.
In traditional societies, women knew how to prepare for birth, and one of the most important measures in the last few weeks of pregnancy was to prepare the birth canal for delivery. A woman’s birth canal has a very rich microbial flora, which needs to be dominated by beneficial microbes.
Antibiotics, the contraceptive pill, and other environmental influences can damage the delicate balance in the flora of the birth canal, predisposing a woman to thrush, vaginosis, and other problems. Pregnancy is also a state of natural immune suppression because it is dominated by the immune-suppressing hormone progesterone. As a result, during pregnancy, pathogens in the vagina can get out of control. The best way to handle them is to populate that area with beneficial flora.
Birthing Microbiome Prep
Apply homemade yogurt or kefir all over your groin daily after a bath or a shower. Don’t use commercial brands as they aren’t fermented for 24 hours.
If you have thrush or other problems in the groin area, insert 1-2 capsules of a good quality probiotic into your vaginal tract at bedtime and leave it there to dissolve overnight; repeating this procedure for 2-3 nights, and the problem should go away.
Vaginal flora comes from the bowel, so it is essential to keep your gut flora healthy. A clean diet (GAPS for example), probiotics & fermented foods will accomplish this.
The Takeaway
We cannot live without beneficial bacteria, and the microbiome of the Mother’s birthing canal is the source of her baby’s initial microbial seeding.
Research suggests that this may be difficult to alter later, so preparing for this life event proactively is a good idea.
Probiotic supplementation is a good way to ensure that we have enough of the beneficial species we need for health if/when things do not go as planned.
These coexisting life forms take care of us, and it is our privilege and duty to take care of them as well.
References
Gut And Psychology Syndrome, by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
Making Sense of Probiotics, white paper by Klaire Labs
Cultivate Health From Within, by Dr. Khem Shahani, Ph.D.
Gastrointestinal Masterclass, by Dr. Jason Hawrelak, Ph.D
More Information
To Group B Strep or Not to Group B Strep, That is the Question
Would birthing in water affect the “probiotic gulp” in anyway? We have well water so I am not concerned about water quality, just wondering the affects of birthing in the water as opposed to out of water,if one way would be more beneficial than the other? Thanks!
I have not seen any research on this one way or another.
Thank you, Amy 🙂
Amy,
Good job. We can only do our best with the information we have at hand. Your baby will benefit.
Thanks for the comment.
What if you give birth in the water, since there is chlorine in it?
Chlorine is not be beneficial in any application concerning babies. If at all possible, don’t birth in chlorinated water.
There is some information about Vitamin C powder being able to neutralize chlorine, so that may be worth checking into.
I heard in Russia women put yogort in the birth canal before giving birth…
That is probably so, and Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, who created the GAPS protocol, is originally from Russia, so that would make sense.
So what do you do if you’ve already had the csections? We’ve both been on probiotics since birth, and already at 3 months have thrush, cradle cap, and some mild eczema, along with a dairy sensitivity. Guessing I shouldn’t do a swab at this point, especially with everything pointing to yeast issues. Is there any way to turn my 5 kids guts into ones similar to what vaginal babies have?
Hi Heidi,
Thanks for the question. I don’t think there is a way (apart perhaps from a fecal implant) to replicate the digestive system microbes. But it is possible that a healing protocol like GAPS™ could be the next answer. It can help with yeast issues, eczema, food sensitivities, etc.
Hilary Reynolds I LOVE THIS THANK YOU!!!
Thank you, Wendy 🙂
i have a question about die off. i experienced some similar symptoms while on a water fast and was about to ascribe them to die off when i realized that i’d never had die off symptoms while i was taking antibiotics.
i took antibiotics prophylactically twice a year from the time i was a young kid until a young adult. i never experienced die off symptoms. i also took antibiotics a couple of other times a year for throat or ear infections, probably every year of my childhood. during one illness in particular, i remember feeling absolutely vibrant and energized after taking the antibiotics for a day or two.
so why would probiotics cause die off symptoms but antibiotics not do so? or is it not really die off that we’re experiencing?
Hi Mama,
Not everyone experiences “die-off”. That may be the distinction. Have you ever taken probiotics?
Die off symptoms are caused by the by products of yeasts as they are killed.Antibiotics do not kill yeasts
so no die off symptoms. You will frequently see die off symptoms when patients take Nystatin an antifugal medication.
wish I knew this years ago