Are You Seeding Baby's Microbiome?
We are not just single individuals roaming the planet, but we are
walking, talking Ecosystems. Like the Earth, the
human body too has many varied environments, each with a unique set of living
conditions and factors, that influences and determines - Life.
These
environments within our body, are filled with different microbes, bacteria,
viruses. They reside in our gut, ears, tongue, hands, hair, everywhere, in our
kidneys and brains, and outside on our bodies too. They live as microbial
colonies, just as communities of plants, insects and animals do.
Microbes
interact with each other, within these communities, and respond to their
surroundings. They coordinate and perform many functions within our body, from
digestion to thinking!
And, Just like Earth's many creatures, our microbial populations too, shift with the winds,travel, and seasons. When environment and lifestyle factors change, they adapt, respond and have the power to overtake systems.
And, Just like Earth's many creatures, our microbial populations too, shift with the winds,travel, and seasons. When environment and lifestyle factors change, they adapt, respond and have the power to overtake systems.
The
micro organisms in a particular environment, including a part or parts of our
body, are collectively known as the Microbiome. The Human Microbiome is really all of our microbes' genes. They can be
considered as a counterpart to the human genome, which means all of our genes.
Genes in the Microbiome, far outweigh the genes in our genome by 100 to 1! We
are only 1% Human, the rest we outsource to microbes. 90% of the cells in our
bodies are microbes.
We
acquire ours from the environment at birth. As we grow, our microbial profiles
grow and change along with us. The human microbiome is a very delicately and finely balanced ecosystem of
different kinds of microorganisms. We have about 1000 species of bacteria in
our gut, 700 in our mouth and 700 on our skin. This diversity keeps the
microbiome and its owner healthy.
As the
foetus slowly grows in the womb, it develops in a near-sterile environment,
relying on its mother for protection. The moment the baby encounters the world,
and emerges, microbes colonise their bodies. Depending on how and where we are
born, we are colonised by different types of microbes.
The first dose of microbes comes from the mother. Babies delivered naturally,
are covered in a film of microbes as they pass through the birth canal. The
birth canal is chock full of bacteria. During that journey, a new baby gets
completely covered with bacteria, giving it a brand new Microbiome. In this mix
are even bacteria that help babies to digest their first meal. This first entry
of microbes is very crucial in kickstarting our immune system and protecting us
from diseases.
Babies
who are born at home finder it easier to work with rather than against the
outside bacteria. They are stronger, less colicky and irritable, and sleep well
at night.
The
remarkable natural process of priming the baby with the right bacteria
ultimately impacts the child's immunity. This is how bacterial populations are
passed from one generation to the next. It continues a chain of maternal
heritage and ancestry for thousands of generations, especially when breastfed
and born naturally. A child's microbiome and all the trillions of micro
organisms, that live on and in the child, will resemble not only the mother's,
but also the great-great grandmother's!
This is the beginning of an incredible relationship and process to create the
child’s bacterial diversity.
Source: https://mynaturalbabybirth.com/
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