Experts have found significant differences between babies born through a cesarean procedure and those born the natural way, at least when it comes to a baby’s bacteria that colonize our gut and play a key role in keeping us healthy, CNN reported.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers said that vaginally born babies got most of their gut bacteria from their mother, while babies born by cesarean did not and instead had more bacteria associated with hospitals.
These differences, however, disappeared by the time the babies were weaned.
Researchers studied 1,679 samples of gut bacteria from nearly 600 healthy babies and 175 mothers.
“We think it’s a critical moment in life. Babies are sterile in the womb and the moment they are born is a moment when the immune system has a huge number of bacteria it’s presented with. The hypothesis is that that moment of birth is a thermostatic moment that sets the immune system for future life,” said Dr. Nigel Field, a senior author of the study that published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.
Previous research has shown babies born via C-section are at a slightly higher risk of immune-related conditions such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and other allergic conditions, Field said.
Dr. Alison Wright, a consultant obstetrician and vice president of The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the research should not stop women from having a C-section, since in many cases, a cesarean is a life-saving procedure.
“The exact role of the microbiome in the newborn and what factors can change it are still uncertain, so we don’t think this study should deter women from having a cesarean. This study shows that more research is required to improve our understanding of this important area,” Wright said.
