To view the newsletter, click here

Not everyone ends up having the type of birth that ticks all the boxes for optimising their baby’s gut microbiome development. 

C-sections are essential for some, breastfeeding is not always an option, and antibiotics can help save the lives of both mum and baby. These things can be life saving and essential, but, unfortunately they may negatively impact the baby’s gut microbiome development, increasing the risk for certain diseases later in life. 

With this in mind, scientists have been searching for methods that may help to restore the gut microbiome of newborn babies, so that they can gain the benefits from a diverse and rich gut microbiome. This newsletter will examine some of these methods, including probiotic supplements, vaginal seeding, faecal microbiota transplantation, and phage therapy. 

In this newsletter, you can:

• Read an article by nutritionist Clare Carrick, discussing the current state-of-play of techniques to engineer the gut microbiome of newborn babies. 
• Read a research summary by Dr Fathalla Ali, detailing four methods of microbiome manipulation, which may offer some hope for restoring the gut microbiomes of babies born prematurely or via c-section, formula-fed, or exposed to antibiotics. 
• Watch Obstetrician Dr Dani Susic explain some of the questions her patients have about the importance of Mode of Birth on the gut health of newborn babies.