Your baby's microbiome The critical role of vaginal birth and breastfeeding for lifelong health

Toni Harman

Book - 2017

"From the Directors of the Award-Winning Documentary <Microbirth> : At least two amazing events happen during childbirth. There's the obvious main event, which is the emergence of a new human into the world. But there's another event taking place simultaneously, a crucial event that is not visible to the naked eye, an event that could determine the lifelong health of the baby. This is the seeding of the baby's microbiome, the community of "good" bacteria that we carry with us throughout our lives. The seeding of the microbiome, along with breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact, kick-starts the baby's immune system and helps protect the infant from disease across a lifetime. Researchers are discoverin...g, however, that interventions such as the use of synthetic oxytocin, antibiotics, C-sections, and formula feeding interfere with, or bypass completely, the microbial transfer from mother to baby. These bacteria are vital for human health, and science has linked an imbalance in the human microbiome with 2016042186 multiple chronic diseases. Drawing on the extensive research they carried out for their documentary film Microbirth, authors Toni Harman and Alex Wakeford reveal a fascinating new view of birth and how microscopic happenings can have lifelong consequences, for ourselves, our children--and our species as a whole"--

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Subjects
Published
White River Junction, Vermont : Chelsea Green Publishing 2017.
Language
English
Main Author
Toni Harman (author)
Other Authors
Alex Wakeford (author)
Physical Description
194 pages : illustration ; 22 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-180) and index.
ISBN
9781603586955
  • Introduction
  • 1. What Is the Human Microbiome?
  • 2. What Do Bacteria Have to Do with Birth?
  • 3. Breast Milk or Formula?
  • 4. What Is the Impact of Cesarean Section on the Microbiome?
  • 5. What Is the Role of Bacteria in Training the Infant Immune System?
  • 6. How Is the Mother's Microbiome Passed on to Future Generations?
  • 7. Is There a Link Between Cesarean Sections and Disease?
  • 8. What Is the Impact on Humanity as a Whole?
  • 9. What Are the Solutions?
  • Acknowledgments
  • Further Reading and Multimedia
  • References
  • Notes
  • Index
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Filmmaker couple Harman and Wakeford, who made the documentary Microbirth, share important information about infant health and the microbiome that they've learned from the "A-team of experts" interviewed for their movie. Each chapter title takes the form of a question, such as "What is the Human Microbiome?" and "What Do Bacteria Have to Do with Birth?" The human microbiome, the authors explain in the introduction, consists of the trillions of microorganisms (mostly bacteria) that live on and in the body, and its most critical period of formation is around childbirth. Chapter one further addresses where these bacteria reside and what they do, as well as their relationship with antibiotics. Subsequent chapters reveal that during vaginal birth, the baby is exposed to many beneficial microbes, that formula lacks key microbe-related ingredients in breast milk, and that babies born via C-section are often not exposed to the mother's vaginal or intestinal microbes. Harman and Wakeford also delve into epigenetics, bacteria's role in the immune system, and options for mothers who can't breastfeed or have vaginal deliveries. This is a no-frills, easily comprehensible book that conveys the essentials of Harman and Wakeford's research into childbirth. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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