All over the world, there are worries that babies who are born through a Caesarian section miss out on some important health benefits. Children born by a C-section start life with insufficient intestinal bacteria flora, studies have shown. If a baby is born naturally, its bacterial community resembles that of the mother’s vagina. But C-sections are essential sometimes, they are a live-saving option for many mothers and babies around the world. The American scientist Rob Knight started thinking about ways to combine the C-section with the benefits of a natural birth, after his second child was born through an emergency C-section. He came up with an idea and set up a small scientific trial. During the trial, a doctor inserts a small gauze into the mother’s vagina before the C-section, and immediately after the baby has been delivered, wipes the body with the gauze. The results from this preliminary trial are promising.