Nurturing Gut Health for You and Your Baby
The information here is strictly educational and not medical advice. It should not substitute professional medical consultation.
As parents, we all want to give our babies the healthiest start possible. One of the best ways to do so is by optimizing gut microbiome health starting in pregnancy (or even before), and then supporting your baby’s microbiome in the first 1000 days of life.
But what’s the best way to support the gut microbiome? Can I just give my baby a probiotic?
Let’s dive into what is the gut microbiome, how can it impact health long term, and what you can do to support your baby’s gut health.
What is the infant microbiome?
The human gut microbiome is made of trillions of living organisms - bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These are essential for bodily development, the immune system, nutrient absorption, and overall health and well-being. Meaning, that the microbes in our tummy help us digest food, keep us from getting sick as often, produce and absorb vitamins, and are essential to long-term health!
Gut microbiota in babies and kids changes drastically toward an adult-like composition during the first three years of life. Dysbiosis or imbalances that develop during the early stages of life may remain until adulthood leading to chronic health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or even neurological disease. No pressure, right?!
Why does gut health matter for babies?
Brain growth and development during the first 3 years of life occur in parallel with the development of the gut microbiome.
The first 1,000 days of life are a crucial window of opportunity when you can shape, support, and potentially change the trajectory of your baby’s health for a LIFETIME.
Your baby’s gut microbiome helps your baby’s health by
keeping the growth of bad bacteria in check
regulating immunity, decreasing inflammation, and supporting the growth of the immune system (aka less snotty noses!)
optimizing your baby’s brain development.
When it comes to baby brain development, it’s important to consider the gut-brain axis. For example, our microbiome is involved in the production of:
Neurotransmitters that impact mood
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that regulate the nervous system
immune balance
Hormones that balance inflammation
All of which can shape mood, stress response, and behavior, food preferences, and more!
Studies have shown that the diversity of the gut microbiome is associated with a baby’s cognitive development and behavior.
This suggests that during the first years of life, a baby's gut health has a unique relationship to both gut and brain development.
The infant microbiome influences early life and development. And it may also program risk for health outcomes in adulthood.
How do babies get good gut bacteria?
Several factors affect the gut microbiota of newborns and children, such as
Maternal health and nutritional status
What mom eats or drinks (or doesn’t eat/drink) during pregnancy and lactation appears to have a substantial impact on a baby’s physiology and behavior by altering the gut microbiota early in life.
The mode of delivery
Vaginal: the first transfer of microbes at birth is often called “seeding”. During a vaginal birth, a baby comes in contact with the mom’s gut, vaginal, and skin microbiome. It is a unique opportunity to give your baby good bacteria at the very start of their life.
C-section: babies born through their mothers' bellies pick up the mom’s skin bacteria, which often is an unfriendly bacteria. Many of the skin species often carry antibiotic resistance and can pose significant harm to premature babies. The C-section microbiome can persist up to 4 years later. Babies born via c-section don’t inherit the rich blend of beneficial microbes that can protect against asthma and allergies. Additionally, babies born via c-section may be at risk for type 1 diabetes, obesity, and gut-related conditions (celiac disease, food allergies).
*Don’t forget to check my tips on how to restore the baby's microbiome after a C-section birth below.
Feeding type
Breastmilk nourishes the beneficial gut bacteria that help your baby thrive and has endless other benefits too.
Diet and feeding patterns
During the first years of life, diet can impact the gut microbiome and baby development. The microbes in the gut may influence eating behaviors, food preferences, and appetite, which are impacted by the diversity of foods (and the environment) the baby is exposed to. A variety of nutrient-dense and colorful foods when starting solids ensures a greater diversity of microbes entering the baby’s gut. (Check out the blog on Introducing Solids).
Close contact with the baby
Other family members (and even your pet!) can also contribute to this passing of microbes.
Avoid use of antibiotics as much as possible.
Antibiotic use during pregnancy may reduce levels of good bacteria to be passed on to a baby. Antibiotics have been associated with lower levels of seeding of beneficial bacterial species in babies—such as Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides—as well as the appearance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in both mothers and babies.
4 tips to support infant microbiome development
The balancing act of good and bad bacteria in your child’s gut is naturally happening all the time, but sometimes an imbalance occurs meaning there are more bad bacteria than good. Here are 4 tips to help foster a healthy gut environment.
Mode of delivery: If it’s an option, choose a vaginal delivery over a C-section birth. Going through labor even for a short time before a C-section may allow the baby to come into contact with maternal microbes that would have otherwise been transferred in vaginal delivery. *Check out the “4 tips for restoring gut health in baby after a c-section” below.
Limit pre- and postnatal antibiotic exposure. Antibiotic use during pregnancy may reduce levels of good bacteria to be passed on to a baby. After birth, antibiotic use in newborns before their first year of life has been linked to the development of asthma and allergies, diabetes, overweight, and eczema later in life. Antibiotics have a place and are warranted for some babies and kids in certain situations. Always discuss with your physician, ask questions, and decide what is right for your child. If antibiotics are needed, consider ways to restore and recover the microbiome after antibiotics (breastfeeding, probiotics, diet, environmental exposures, etc).
Diet: Diet and feeding patterns during the first years of life can impact the gut microbiome and baby development. Not only do maternal nutrition and breastfeeding impact gut health, but the complimentary foods a baby is offered during infancy and into toddlerhood can impact the gut microbiome. If it is available to you, try to breastfeed for at least the first 6 months. When seeking out a formula, seek out one with HMO prebiotics to help support the baby’s gut health. When introducing solids, aim for nutrient-dense foods. The more variety of foods, the more diversity of gut microbiome. Some complementary foods, such as rye bread, cheese, and meat products, have been specifically correlated to this increase in diversity of the infant gut microbiota, as well as, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Consider Probiotics: Probiotics are live microorganisms that can benefit health. If your baby was born by C-section, has used antibiotics, or has eczema or digestive troubles (which can be caused by lower levels of beneficial bacteria) you may want to consider using a probiotic specifically formulated for babies. Keep in mind that probiotics differ in their health benefits. The right probiotic for your baby will depend on their needs. If you want to check your baby’s gut health, you can test your baby’s gut microbiome. This test will reveal your baby's gut type and give personalized recommendations based on your baby’s needs.
Use Code: BSW for $20 off your test. test your baby’s gut microbiome.
4 Tips to restore and support your baby’s microbiome after a C-section.
Listen, mama, we can’t control everything, especially with our labor and birth experiences. Whether a c-section was in your birth plan or not, do not feel like you set your baby up for failure because of the birth method that your baby had.
There is a lot you CAN do to support a healthy microbiome after a c-section.
Immediate skin-to-skin (or as soon as possible). Place your naked baby on your bare chest, or have your partner do this if you are not in a place to hold your baby.
Breastfeed as soon as you can. Breast milk nourishes the good gut bacteria that can help your baby thrive. Not to mention all the other amazing benefits of breastmilk.
Use a probiotic that is specific to your baby. If breastfeeding isn’t an option, you can consider supplementing with the right probiotics for your baby and use a formula with HMO prebiotics.
Get dirty!!! Microbe seeding doesn't stop at birth. It occurs most intensely in the first 2 years of your baby’s life. The more natural environments they are exposed to, the more diverse their microbiome will be and less risk for things like allergies, asthma, and eczema. Let them play outside, have pets, or interact with others’ pets, and get dirty!
What more can you do?
Maybe you are a little bit past the newborn and toddler phase and you want to know what more you can do to support your child’s microbiome for optimal health. Maybe your child is experiencing some of the following signs of gut imbalance:
digestive issues: constipation, diarrhea, bloating, cramping, gas
colic or reflux
vitamin deficiencies
skin issues- eczema, acne, psoriasis
allergies
poor immunity (sick often)
poor sleep
general fatigue
mood fluctuations
picky eating or strong food preferences
Don’t stress! It is never too late to make changes. If you want to check your child’s gut health, you can test your baby’s gut microbiome. This test will reveal your baby's gut type and give personalized recommendations based on your child’sneeds.
Use code BSW for $20 off your test.
It is one thing to know what you NEED to do for your child’s health, but it’s another thing to know HOW to apply it to your unique circumstances.
If you are looking for more 1-on-1 guidance and support for implementing strategies to not only support your child’s gut health but how to apply them to fit your specific child and family’s needs, click here to book a consultation with us.
Learn More here!
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Medical/General: The content, information, opinions, and suggestions listed here have been created with typically developing children and babies in mind. The information here is generalized for a broad audience. The information here should by no means be used as a substitute for medical advice or for any circumstance be used in place of emergency services. Your child is an individual and may have needs or considerations beyond generally accepted practices. If your child has underlying medical or developmental differences, including but not limited to prematurity, developmental delay, sensory processing differences, gastrointestinal differences, cardiopulmonary disease processes, or neurological differences, we strongly recommend you discuss your child's feeding plan with the child's doctor, health care provider or therapy team. By accessing this site and the information in it, you acknowledge and agree that you are accepting responsibility for your child’s health and well-being. By using and accepting the information on this site, the author (Cierra Crowley) is not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any suggestions discussed. It is important to talk to your child’s pediatrician or medical provider to start anything new or make any changes.
Affiliation: this page contains affiliate links from which I can earn small commissions (at no additional cost to you).
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