The Critical Link Between Your Gut Health And Your Baby’s Immunity
Eliminating refined sugars and processed carbohydrates is really important especially during the final trimester, as these foods can compromise vaginal health. During the natural birth process, your baby ingests the flora that’s present in your vaginal canal and sets up your baby's immune system for life. A healthy gut and vaginal flora can also help prevent intrauterine and neonatal infections.
Ideally, you have a balanced bacterial environment so that your baby ingests more beneficial than non-beneficial bacteria during the birth process. However, if this is out of balance (in the case of Thrush) or too many unwanted bacteria exist due to antibiotic use during pregnancy, poor diet or medication use, taking a probiotic in the last month of your pregnancy may help to rebalance this.
Research shows taking probiotics during pregnancy can increase your baby's immune strength, as well as improve your baby's ability to tolerate lactose once born. Evidence suggests that mothers-to-be who take a probiotic supplement during pregnancy may reduce the risk of their children developing allergy based conditions such as eczema, and behavioural based diagnoses including attention deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD).
Choose a probiotic supplement that offers a mix of different strains (around eight), including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus, as this has been shown to reflect the more natural gut environment. Loose powders are a good option as they may be more effectively used by the gastro-intestinal system. We recommend consulting a qualified and experienced health practitioner when choosing a probiotic supplement.
Eating fermented foods high in probiotics, as well as lots of good fibre-rich probiotics, will further nurture your gut health and support your preparation for birth. Some foods containing probiotics, or that support probiotic growth, include sauerkraut, kimchi, miso soup, coconut kefir, yoghurt and kombucha. Add a tablespoon of these foods to your dinner plate or enjoy a shot of kombucha each day (everything in moderation).
Also include prebiotics in your diet. Prebiotics are fibres that serve as food for probiotics. Naturally occurring prebiotics can be found in foods like bananas, garlic, onions and asparagus. Adding immune-boosting foods like organic red capsicum, organic strawberries, kiwis and cooked shiitake, mattock and crimini mushrooms will further prepare your body and your baby for birth.
NOTE: Babies born by Caesarean section do not get the opportunity to acquire the beneficial bacteria that exists in a woman's vaginal canal. To overcome this, you may consider vaginal seeding post birth. Vaginal seeding, also known as microbirthing, is a procedure whereby vaginal fluids (and hence vaginal microbes) are applied to a new-born child delivered by caesarean section. The purpose of the technique is to recreate the natural transfer of bacteria that the baby gets during a vaginal birth. Furthermore, it’s suggested that babies born by C-section should receive a supplement of bifidus bacteria even if they’re breastfed. You may wish to discuss these options with your birth care team.
N.B. This information is designed to be used in conjunction with, and is not a substitute for, the advice of your doctor or health care practitioner.