WIKIMEDIA, ERNEST FBabies born by Cesarean section (C-section) are not always exposed to bacteria and other microbes present in the birth canals of their mothers, a factor that some studies have linked to potential health risks later in life. Now, researchers have presented preliminary data suggesting that microbial communities could be at least partly restored by swabbing C-section–delivered babies with their mothers’ vaginal fluids immediately after birth. The results appeared today (February 1) in Nature Medicine.
“Despite the small number of subjects, our study shows significant differences in the bacterial communities of C-section infants exposed to the maternal vaginal fluid, whose microbiota is partially restored and more similar to that of vaginally delivered infants,” study coauthor Jose Clemente, an assistant professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, told reporters during a press briefing.
Considered medically necessary in just 10 percent to 15 percent of births, C-sections are used to deliver approximately one in three babies born in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The practice carries considerable risks for mothers, including the possibility of medical complications such as unplanned hysterectomies and ruptured uteruses.
C-sections also pose risks to the infants ...
