Rubbing mother’s vaginal fluid on C-section babies improves their neurodevelopment – ​​Health and Medicine

2023-06-20 07:30:20

The intervention equates their microbiota to that of those born vaginally, according to the study authors.

Rubbing newborns by caesarean section with vaginal fluids from the mother to transfer their bacteria favors the early development of babies and the formation and maturation of their intestinal microbiota, according to a study published in Cell Host & Microbe.

Children born by caesarean section often have a different intestinal flora than those born vaginally, who begin life with a greater abundance of Lactobacillus and Bacteroides. This is so because babies born vaginally receive their first intestinal bacteria through the mother’s birth canal, while the microbiota of those born by caesarean section is colonized by bacteria from the skin, breast milk, and the environment.

“There are epidemiological studies that show that birth by caesarean section is associated with a higher risk of later developing certain diseases, especially of an immune type, such as allergies; our hypothesis is that this is partially determined by the colonization of the baby by harmful bacteria, which entails a destabilization of metabolites necessary for proper development”, explains José C. Clemente, professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and one of the study authors.

Hence the interest in testing whether the vaginal microbiota of mothers can be transferred by other means. The experiment to verify this consisted of rubbing the lips, skin and hands of 32 newborns by caesarean section with gauze soaked in fluids from their mother’s vagina, while 36 others were rubbed with saline. They then compared their stool samples at 3, 7, 30 and 42 days and also those of 33 other babies born vaginally, and measured their neurodevelopment at three and six months by means of a questionnaire to the mothers.

“We observed above all an increase in Lactobacillus, but also an enrichment in the acquisition of Escherichia and Bifiobacteria, which means that there is an effective transfer of fluids, that we are reproducing what happens in vaginal delivery,” summarizes Clemente.

In addition, they saw a significant improvement in the neurodevelopment of the group impregnated with vaginal fluids compared to the control group, particularly in their communication and motor skills. And they found no increased risk associated with exposing the babies to vaginal bacteria, so the intervention is considered safe as well as beneficial.

However, the investigators acknowledge that their study sample is small and larger work will be needed to confirm these results before this intervention is incorporated into clinical practice. Mayte Rivers