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.
This article was originally published on September 11, 2015
