Developing Your and Baby's Routine

Developing your and baby's Routine

“I feel that one of the most important discoveries in the field of paediatrics is that the newborn baby is a human being.” John Lind 1979

On arriving to do a consult with clients, usually the first words that are said even before a greeting is an apology around the state of their house, which usually is 100% better than what I left behind on any given day. I start chatting to the mom, taking a history. She then will take out her phone and show me her baby’s exact movements how often it has fed, how many nappies and what is due next. When I ask what baby does to show signs of these events, the answer is not in the app or does not magically appear in the notebook. These devices and aids are what have replaced our village. The structure of our society is that we no longer have support. A parent is tasked with so much to do, and with the expectation of needing to do all these tasks with perfection. In the past, you breastfeed a baby on demand, slept with said baby, likely carried baby around with you for a while, had older children play with younger (or family) as they aged, they took on responsibilities and learned by watching, you had help from other women to get what needs to get done. Now we are isolated from this and it feels like we are thrown into it alone.

We know that a baby has basic needs that aren’t too complicated, food, sleep, play and love. The challenge comes in of knowing what your baby requires and when. As adults, we cope with our busy lives by creating a routine of when and how things are done. This helps us cope with the more challenging parts of the day because we don’t need to think about the routine things. So, this sounds like a great way to deal with the baby. There are countless books, articles, apps and podcasts that recommend various ways to get your baby into the perfect routine. The problem is that I see so many parents battling with sleep schedules, feeding schedules, stimulation schedules and so on, all with conflicting messages, that they get so overwhelmed and anxious that it brings them to breaking point.

So now we are at a place that we wanting a routine, but can’t seem to get baby to actually comply. Back to our mother that has all the information well documented but no solution. Lets journey back to the first hour that baby arrived. Starting the ground work for our routine here.

As your baby is born place your baby skin to skin on mothers chest, allow baby to follow the 9 instinctive stages. A baby in the right place on mother’s chest will need no help to find the breast and start drinking. From there allow mom and baby to have first sleep, while dad quietly observes his new family. This is the very beginning of learning your baby’s routine. For the following 6 – 12 weeks, keep your baby on a parent’s chest for as much time as possible. This can be done skin to skin, or in a wrap that allows you to be hands free. This is not spoiling a baby, but it is keeping this baby in a place that it feels safe, warm and has easy access to source of food whenever it is required. By doing this you are removing the baby need to be in survival mode. When a baby is away from a caregiver ie in a cot or in a separate room, they are not aware that they are safely being guarded by the latest monitor on the market, they feel vulnerable, they go into survival mode, keeping themselves safe from predators and other lurking dangers. This can give a false sense of what their needs really are.

Baby in Kangaroo Mother Care is having all basic needs met, this allows us constant observation of our baby in the perfect environment. We can start to take notice how they look, sound and move when they are hungry, windy, overstimulated and sleepy. This way we can respond to these needs quickly and efficiently. We then start to notice that as the baby gets older, patterns start to emerge around when these needs occur. This means that we can start predicting when baby will want to eat, and sleep etc. Slowly we can start creating our own routines around these events, tweaking them as we go. This also allows for the human factor, on certain days baby may be hungrier than others, maybe has a bit headache wanting some extra fluids through the night so battling to sleep, or growing and teething, and maybe starting with a little flu. We can also start to see our baby’s personality shining through, early signs of their love language.

If we think about trying to get this baby into a preset routine, that we think would work, based on what would work really well with our current routine. I use a business change management strategy that is applied successfully in many businesses. As a manager implementing a new protocol, if you arrive in the office Monday morning, announce the new way of working and shut you’re your office door and tell everyone to get on with it, the chances of your new protocol working is very slim. If your staff have had input and participated in developing the new protocol with your guidance, the level of buy in and potential for success is much greater.

So what if we apply this principal to our babies. If we base our routine on observed input from the baby, with a little compromise here and there from both of us, surely there will be better buy in and less frustration from both parties? I know you are frustrated by this article as a check box step by step approach is what you feel would be easier, remember that a newborn baby is just a little human being. If you don’t know what to do, think, I am a human being, what would I like in this situation.

Samantha Crompton RN RM SACLC

The Baby Lady

Hyperemesis Gravidarum – The pregnancy Voms

Hyperemesis Gravidarum – The pregnancy Voms

“Aah Phoebes, you have that wonderful pregnancy glow. Glow … that is sweat! You throw all morning and see how you glow” – F.R.I.E.N.D.S

That unmistakable wave of nausea is commonly one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. It can be bitter sweet, as no one really likes to feel nauseous, but when pregnancy is your goal, it is really exciting. 70 -90% of women experience nausea and some vomiting in the first trimester. The cause of nausea in pregnancy is not completely understood, but does appear to be linked to the production of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) hormone. Nausea usually starts at around 4-8 weeks and subsides around 12-14 weeks.

For around 5% and up to 20% of these women, this will continue throughout the pregnancy. Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is the most severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, associated with ketosis, weightloss, dehydration, electrolyte and acid imbalances, and nutritional deficiencies. Severe cases may need hospitalisation. Women that are more likely to develop HG: developed symptoms in previous pregnancies; have menstrual migraines; develop similar symptoms taking oestrogen (birth control); experience motion sickness; and have GI problems such as ulcers or reflux.

Your obstetrician or midwife will usually start by trying natural nausea prevention methods such as Vitamin B6 and Ginger, eating smaller frequent meals, and dry food such as crackers. Drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. Now, pregnant moms that I have given this advice to move from sarcastic, to nuclear, and then often to defeated. I asked some of my mom’s to tell me about their experience:

I have been pregnant twice and in both my pregnancies I have suffered terribly from nausea and vomiting. It started around 8 weeks and continued throughout the pregnancy. With my first I lost 10kg, and with the second it was 7kg. I felt nauseous all the time and certain smells and foods would set me running to the toilet. Nothing worked, I tried everything. My doctor even put me on medication but to no avail. I was open to all advice, I would have tried anything to stop it. Donna Matthews

Severe cases may require hospitalization. Pregnant women who are unable to keep fluids or food down due to constant nausea or vomiting will need to get them intravenously. Medication is necessary when vomiting is a threat to the mother or child. Majority of mothers try avoid medications at all costs during pregnancy, so usually if a pregnant mom is asking for medication, she really is desperate.

I was very excited when I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter, sadly that excitement was very soon replaced with nausea and vomiting which lasted all day. It started at about the same time that I began to suspect that I was pregnant and worsened as my pregnancy advanced.  I told my Gynae at time that I was suffering from severe morning sickness and could barely keep any food down. I was given Asic tablets and told to eat small meals regularly, this did not help one bit. The gynae would not give me anything stronger as she was unsure of what effect it may have on the baby. I was unable to go into any shop which stocked meat of any form as the smell made me vomit and I regularly had to leave a trolley full of groceries and run. My husband and I turned vegetarian for almost 6 months because I could not cook any meat.  My work was compromised, some days I only managed to get to work around midmorning and many days I had to call in sick. I vomited for a full 39 weeks and was totally exhausted and despondent by the time my C-section date arrived.  I suffered from exhaustion and postpartum depression for a long time after my daughter was born and I think a lot of it could be linked back to the hyperemesis. It took us 6 years to work up the courage to go through all of that again despite people telling me that the next time might be different. When I found out I was pregnant with my second daughter I made the Dr redo the blood test 3 times just to be sure as I was slightly nauseous, but not vomiting, however by week 7 the vomiting had set in again. When I was 10 weeks pregnant I was hospitalised for 4 days because I could not keep anything down and was becoming dehydrated. When I was discharged my Gynae prescribed Zofur which reduced the vomiting to mornings only, however the nausea remained. We finally got the vomiting under control around the 20^th week of my pregnancy, even though the nausea was never controlled and I struggled to eat many things. I felt a lot better and had far more energy going into the birth the second time around and am coping much better in the weeks following the birth. I had many people giving me advice about what worked to reduce their morning sickness, including ginger suckers, teas and small meals. None of this advice was helpful as none of it worked and I got progressively more frustrated and despondent. Hyperemesis is debilitating and frustrating and I don’t think that women who truly suffer from it are taken seriously, I mostly felt like a hypochondriac when I told people how terrible I was feeling. I will definitely not be having any more children as I cannot go through those months of vomiting again. Meagan Mansell

Medications that are commonly used:

Antihistamines such as Diphenhydramine or Meclizine, these commonly cause drowsiness.

Other anti-nausea medications such as promethazine and metoclopramide are available for use. Zofran (Ondansetron) is commonly used to help with HG. Zofran blocks the actions of chemicals in the body that can trigger nausea and vomiting.

The way that medications are used can improve efficacy.

-          Changing medications abruptly and frequently is counterproductive

-          Scheduled dosing improves response, rather than taking when needed.

-          Wean slowly after a few weeks of stability and adequate nutritional intake

-          Medication may be needed until delivery

Complementary treatments can be used such as acupuncture, acupressure, and hypnosis. These have been helpful for certain women.

Many of the moms worry how the HG will affect the baby. Although the pregnancy may be long and tedious, nausea and vomiting of pregnancy is typically not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in the absence of severe malnutrition or weight gain <7kg. There is strong evidence that women with nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy have a lower rate of miscarriage than women without these symptoms. Larger follow-up studies are needed to determine whether HG has long-term effects on offspring.

There are others that have HG and they are usually your best resource, even if it is just to know that you will survive it.

 

www.HelpHER.org

info@HelpHER.org

facebook.com/HERFoundation

twitter.com/HGmoms

I Don't Have Enough Milk

“I Don’t Have Enough Milk”

By Samantha Crompton BNURS SACLC

New mothers are often overwhelmed with the insecurity that they will not be a good mother, that they will not do everything right. Over the years our confidence in the ability of our bodies to grow, birth and nourish our babies has been stripped from us. I often hear mothers say that they don’t have enough milk, and I always try and find out why they are saying this.

“The first milk is not enough, I need to top up until my milk comes in”, the milk coming in is an unfortunate term as it implies that there was no milk to begin with which is untrue. Despite mothers knowing the many benefits of colostrum, when they hear that it is measured in teaspoons and not tens of mls, they often think that can’t be enough for my baby, surely I must top up.

 A newborn with a stomach capacity of around 20ml translates into a feeding interval of around 1 hour. This is in line with gastric emptying of human milk and neonatal sleep cycles. Larger feeding volumes at longer intervals may therefore be stressful and the cause of spitting up, reflux and hypoglycaemia. (Bergman 2013)

 

Colostrum is low in fat, and high in carbohydrates, proteins and antibodies. Natures first vaccine. It is easily digestable, and has a laxative effect on baby helping to pass early stools, which aids in the excretion of excess bilirubin and helps prevent jaundice. Colostrum has an important role to play in babies gastrointestinal tract. A newborns intestines are very permeable. Colostrum seals or paints the GI tract mostly preventing foreign objects from penetrating. Small frequent feeds are all your baby needs, and your breasts will begin to produce mature milk increasing in volume as your baby grows. It is often not that our baby is feeding too often and not getting enough in these early days, but more that our expectations of how often baby needs to be fed are misdirected.

“My baby feeds all the time, my milk must be low or not strong enough”

Firstly it is good to know that frequent nursing is normal and expected in the early months. Most newborns need to nurse 8-12 times a day. It is needed to reduce engorgement in early days, nourish growing baby with a small stomach capacity but needs to double weight by 5-6 months, and to establish a good milk supply.

 SUPPLY = DEMAND. (Every formula bottle decreases demand therefore supply leads to vicious cycle).

Nursing is not only about nutrition, safety & security are basic needs. They just need mom, lots of kangaroo care in the first 6 weeks.

Managing expectations, it helps when the parents understand growth spurts or frequency days. I usually get the crying phone call at 2 weeks old. This is good baby suddenly turned on you and the lack of sleep caught up. Nature designed these frequency days to increase our milk supply to keep up with the growing demands of our baby. Your baby can feed every hour for 2-3 days and then usually returns to normal feeding patterns. They are difficult but if you are prepared for it mentally and physically. Adjusting expectations is the best way to cope. Once you consider frequent nursing in this time to be the norm and not a problem it will make life easier. Prioritise your to do list – List things that have to be done in the week and list things that can wait.

“When I pump, I am only getting ..ml’s”

Pumping is a good way to see how much milk you can pump. A baby that breastfeeds well can get much more milk out than you could ever pump. How much milk you can pump out depends on many factors. It is not unusual to have to pump 2-3 sessions to get enough milk for 1 feed. Pumped milk while breastfeeding full time is extra milk. It is normal for output to vary from session to session and day to day. Other things to consider:

-          Are you using the appropriate pump for the stage of nursing and the amount of pumping that you are doing. It is extremely difficult to pump colostrum with an electric pump. In early days hand expression is much better than any pump on the market. If you are pumping for a full day away, you may need a double electric pump to keep up.

-          Is the flange on the pump the correct size. Sometimes switching to a larger flange or getting the correct sizing makes all the difference.

-          How old is your pump?

There is also the lost art of Hand Expression. It is extremely important to  learn how to hand express. No need for electricity or batteries, hands are always with you. A number of my mom’s that battle to express using pumps get much better results when using hand expression or manual pumps.

How do I know that I really have a low supply?

As moms we tend to stress ourselves more than we need to. We obsess about knowing how much milk baby is getting. Let baby tell you how much milk he is getting.

-          The number of wet nappies your baby produces.

-          Weight gain problems such as a flat or dipping growth trajectory.

-          Consult with qualified SACLC or IBCLC lactation consultant

There are many factors that can cause a low supply, but it is not all doom and gloom, and the answer is not always come in a tin or a pill / supplement. We need to find the cause of your low supply and address the problem. Discuss these technicalities with a skilled lactation consultant and together you can find the right solution for you.

Samantha Crompton

BNURS RN RM community psych

South African Certified Lactation Consultant

Certified Preggi Bellies Instructor

What date would baby choose?

I heard a sad story from one of my colleagues this week, her client requested to have a C-section at 37 weeks because she wanted her baby to be born on 3/3 for reasons I do not know. What was so disturbing about this was that the obstetrician agreed. The baby was born and ended up in NICU because of respiratory complications, and other factors related to be born too early.

The question is what date do you think that the baby would have chosen?

Let's first take a look at the due date. The way to work out a due date (EDD - estimated due date) has always been to take the first day of your last normal menstrual period plus 7 days, plus 9 months and you have your due date. LNMP + 7 days + 9months = Due date (Naegele's Rule 1812). This is not evidence based. The problem with this method is that our memories are not exactly great, unless tracking your menstruation cycles. First trimester bleeding may be mistaken as your last period but may have been an implantation bleed. It also assumes that all menstrual cycles are 28 days and all women ovulate on the 14th day of their cycle. (1) When I was trying to conceive, I started tracking my cycle and ovulation by checking my temperature and discovered that my cycle was around 38 days and that I was ovulating around day 22. I used this information to help conceive, it is just a pity that I didn't use this information to help fight to keep my baby in longer. When we know better we do better.

The more accurate way is to have a 1st trimester ultrasound. The ideal time is between 11 and 14 weeks. Accuracy declines after 20 weeks.

In a study published in 2001, Smith looked at the length of pregnancy in 1,514 healthy women whose estimated due dates, as calculated by the last menstrual period, were perfect matches with estimated due dates from their first trimester ultrasound. The researchers found that 50% of all women giving birth for the first time gave birth by 40 weeks and 5 days, while 75% gave birth by 41 weeks and 2 days. Meanwhile, 50% of all women who had given birth at least once before gave birth by 40 weeks and 3 days, while 75% gave birth by 41 weeks. This means that for both first-time and experienced mothers in Smith’s study, the traditional “estimated due date” of 40 weeks was wrong! The actual pregnancy was about 5 days longer than the traditional due date (using Naegele’s rule) in a first-time mother, and 3 days longer than the traditional due date in a mother who has given birth before.

Study finds that estimated due date should be closer to 40 weeks and 5 days. (2).

 

My clients laugh at me when I ask them how they like their roast chicken? But often the recommended time on the recipe is just a guideline. We take out the chicken, poke it, sometimes it is done, but at times it needs just 5 more minutes. Although we can't take out our babies, check and then put them back in to cook if not done, we should really give them a chance to cook. Staying pregnant for 40 weeks is the best way to give the baby enough time in the womb to grow and develop. being pregnant is hard, but having a sick baby is harder.

 

What is considered full term vs. premature baby? Preterm is when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. An early term is when baby is born between 37 & 38 weeks. A full term baby is born from 39 - 40 weeks. A late term is born at 41 weeks. Post term is born at 42 weeks and beyond.

 

A baby's brain at 35 weeks weighs 2/3 of what it will weigh at 40 weeks. Preterm birth is a concern because babies born too early may not be fully developed. Some problems may be seen at birth, but other problems such as learning disabilities, may appear later in childhood. A baby born before 39 weeks has an increased risk of breathing problems, likely to experience low body temperature and low blood glucose, experience feeding problems. Babies born early have more learning and behavioural problems in childhood than those born at 40 weeks. Each week of pregnancy matters even those last few weeks. make every week count and give your baby the best start to life. (1)

Is it worth It? Take a look at this video for more information.

 

I was chatting about the parents & Dr that delivered the baby at 37 weeks with someone from medical aids. I was asking if they should pay for the baby to be in NICU, as it was a result of an elective procedure. They gave the best answer, they said that it was not the baby's fault, why should they deny care to their newest client based on actions of others.

 

The foetus initiates labour which marks the point of optimum functionality - including the brain. The absence of labour means that the foetus has had no time for a successful transition from intra to extra-uterine life.

 

Respect your baby's decision on when it is ready for the outside worls.

 

References:

1. Expectant Mothers Guide 2017. Did you know the latest evidence. p65-66.

2. https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducing-labor-for-going-past-your-due-date/

Sweat Marks not Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are often a topic of discussion during my antenatal courses and at baby group. I honestly have never weighed in much to the discussion, as skin care is really not one of my skill sets. I often have specialists in my group that are far better qualified to take the floor. During a CPD function, I was listening to presentation by one of the skin care specialist companies and I heard a fact that piqued my interest. Exercise can prevent stretch marks. Now pregnancy and post natal exercise I am quite passionate about, so I revved up the search engine and was reminded as ever that you can never stop learning, even about what you do on a daily basis.

So what are stretch marks anyway? When the body expands faster than the covering skin, the skin tears, forming a scar as it heals. These scars are visible on the surface of the skin as stretch marks.
The likelihood of developing stretch marks varies according to skin type, race, age, diet and hydration of the skin. Those most prone to stretch marks include pregnant women, body builders, adolescents undergoing sudden growth spurts and individuals who experience rapid weight gain.(1).
If you have them, you’re in good company. About 90% of women will get them sometime after their sixth or seventh month of pregnancy, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

If your mother had stretch marks, then you're more likely to have them too, since genetics plays a role. (2).

Majority of the prevention and treatments involved Retin-A creams and lotions, laser and other things that medical aids definitely wouldn't cover. There are also the Tiger Stripes empowerment that I have always prescribed to that says just embrace them, you have earned them. But lets explore this exercise thing. So firstly, can you exercise during pregnancy and how much? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that pregnant women get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. An aerobic activity is one in which you move large muscles of the body (like those in the legs and arms) in a rhythmic way. Moderate intensity means you are moving enough to raise your heart rate and start sweating. You still can talk normally, but you cannot sing. (3). The moms in my class know that I encourage them to belt out a tune because helps us breath correctly during the higher intensity cardio times.

Apparently, no exercise can remove or reduce stretch marks, but regular, moderate exercise may help prevent stretch marks from developing. Regular exercise can reduce the unnecessary weight gain that often results in stretch marks. Exercise also improves circulation, which could help the skin remain elastic and allow it to stretch without tearing. (4). Stretch marks may appear anywhere on the body that experiences rapid tissue growth, and are mostly commonly found on the abdomen, hips, thighs, breasts and buttocks. I took a look at the types of exercise that we do during Preggi Bellies classes that I instruct.

 

Aerobic exercise promotes better circulation so more nutrients reach your skin's surface. I include at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per class so that is a thumbs up for the skin.
Sit-ups and crunches are helpful at preventing stretch marks on your abdomen. We do modified abdominal exercises that are safe in pregnancy and a lot of the focus is on core strengthening.

The moaning that occurs but push-ups help prevent the appearance of stretch marks around your breasts. Whoop whoop, now there is no excuse. And the ever present Squats, squats increase muscle tone in your hips, thighs and buttocks. (5).
Despite there being no double blind randomized controlled trial proving that exercise can prevent stretch marks in pregnancy, ACOG advises us on the health benefits of exercise in pregnancy, so hopefully we are preventing those stretch marks at the same time.

Sr Samantha Crompton RN RM SACLC
The Baby Lady


References:
1. http://www.bio-oil.com/en-us/application/stretch-marks.
2. The truth about pregnancy stretchmarks. Elizabeth Krieger. http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/stretch-marks#1. 5/2/2017.
3. Exercise during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologist. May 2016. http://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Exercise-During-Pregnancy. 5/2/2017. 
4. Which exercises remove stretchmarks. http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/exercises-remove-stretch-marks-1279.html. 5/2/2017.
5. Exercises to Get Rid of Stretch Marks by Myrna st Roman. Jul 21, 2010.http://www.livestrong.com/article/181266-exercises-to-get-rid-of-stretch-marks/.  

The Boobifly Effect

It's a good day! It is not everyday that you get to see the small things that you do effect someone and can effect the larger community. The Butterfly Effect is the concept that small causes can have large effects. Initially, it was used with weather prediction but later the term became a metaphor used in and out of science. (1).

Going back to when I was breastfeeding my first son, I was unaware that public breastfeeding was a thing, I fed my baby whenever and wherever he needed me to. Similarly, I was not aware that pumping at work was such a big deal. I pumped while sitting in traffic jam on the way to work, I pumped in toilets, empty conference rooms, and during busy times at my desk in open plan office. I put my pumped breastmilk in storage bags in the company freezer in the communal kitchen. Once, I was asked about the time taking to pump, I equated it to my colleagues going for a 10 min smoke every 90 minutes and surely that was far less productive than what I was doing, never heard it again. It was only when I left the corporate environment and emerged myself in the lactation world that I discovered that potentially there may have been an issue with my actions at the office. I put it down to my lack of social awareness or that if you just do something with confidence, no one will question you.

Back to the present, I received a WhatsApp message from a client that over the years has become a good friend. For both of us it has been a journey of learning, through many BBM's (I am getting old), phone calls, visits, glasses of wine. Always willing to be a test subject for advice, techniques, and understanding what mothers go through.

So what does this have to do with a butterfly? As a lactation consultant, I am passionate about breastfeeding and more often than not feel like I am failing parents at changing the world. I scroll through social media and this reinforces failure. Pictures and pictures of friends, family, clients and strangers with their baby and the ever present bottle. I am only entering this professionally long into the challenge, mentors have been at this for a lot longer, and with slower results. But each day through various means; 1:1 consultations, group training, workshops, blogs, WhatsApp messages and groups, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and every other media available we try and get our passion across.

The day that you hear that an article that you posted, assumed that was scrolled past, was actually READ, IMPLEMENTED, EVALUATED and SHARED. When you get an aerial view of how one small part, ripples to one mother, and she can see the value in what she has done and how it can make the way for everyone else easier.

It is a good day!

Samantha Crompton RN, RM, (general, community, psych), SACLC
BNURS (Wits)
SJC Consulting cc
Lactation Consultant SACLC, Childbirth educator, Post Natal support and Preggi bellies instructor



^{1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect. 18/1/2017.}

Birth Planning for Future Health

Birth Planning for Future Health

There comes a point in your pregnancy when you realise that this baby actually has to come out. You might laugh thinking back, but often we are so excited to be pregnant that we haven’t thought further than being pregnant. When you type “Birth Plan” into your search engine, immediately there are 13 300 results. Each of these has excellent advice on preferences and options that you should think about in order to make a positive birth experience. Some are very practical in the sense of what to pack, who should be allowed into the labour ward and when should you have an enema so not to poop on the table; but what if some of these decisions could impact the long term health of your unborn baby. Suddenly, how scary that we not only have to plan for beyond the pregnancy, but the responsibility of decisions made at birth could have far reaching impact.

Recent terminology that is starting to filter into these plans is the Microbiome. "Two amazing events happen during childbirth. There's the obvious main event which is the emergence of a new human into the world. But then there's the non-human event that is taking place simultaneously, a crucial event that is not visible to the naked eye, an event that could determine the lifelong health of the baby. This is the seeding of the baby's microbiome.” (1). The human microbiome consists of trillions of microbes – bacteria and viruses—the balance of which largely determines our health and well-being throughout life. The largest microbiomes in women are located in the mouth the gut, the uterus, the vagina, and the skin. Breastmilk also provides a vital microbiome for the infant.(2). The microbiome is normally transferred from mother to baby via the placenta during pregnancy; the vaginal canal during birth; and the mother’s skin, breastmilk, and lips in the hours, days and weeks after birth. The microbes and their genetic material play an essential role in the child’s health, development, and metabolism. Disruption in the transfer of the microbiome in the perinatal period due to changes in the way  pregnancy and birth are managed in the hospital have led to the increase in many diseases, such as allergies, asthma, diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases, obesity, autoimmune disorders, and some mental disorders. Until the past few years, the connection between the altered microbiome and poor health was virtually unknown. With newer technologies that allow for the study of microbes that were previously impossible to study, these connections are beginning to be discovered. (3).

Let’s go back to looking at just a few things on our birth plans while keeping the maintenance of the microbiome as our heading:

Mode of delivery – Unfortunately cesarean delivery (CD) is no longer reserved for medical reasons, but the massive increase in elective CD sitting in the 80% in some private clinics, has put this on the list of birth planning. During vaginal delivery, the contact with the vaginal flora is an important start to the infants colonization, this is absent in CD. Studies are showing that babies born vaginally are colonised with lactobacillus, whereas cesarean delivery babies were colonized by a mixture of potentially pathogenic bacteria typically found on the skin and in hospitals, such as Staphylococcus and Acinetobacter. The effect of this appears to be most robust in the area of immune mediated diseases. CD has been associated with a significant increased rate of asthma and allergic rhinitis.(4).

Skin to skin (STS) – Placing the baby immediately on the mother’s chest and leaving the baby there is what is needed. Almost all necessary interventions can be performed with the baby on the mother’s chest. Wrapping the newly born baby in hospital blankets and placing in an incubator means the baby has no chance to acquire the skin microbiome of the mother, through direct contact, including skin to skin holding, licking and nuzzling. Instead the baby is exposed to the hospital microbiome via the blankets and the handling by the nurse. (5). Even if CD is necessary, immediate STS should be done.

Antibiotics, widely used for the mother during pregnancy and birth and for the infant afterwards, destroy helpful microbes. Even though this is not usually the choice of the mother, as prescribed, but by just discussing risk vs reward with prescribing physician can go a long way to avoiding unnecessary usage.

Breastfeeding / Formula feeding and the consistent use of the formula top up. Infant formula deprives the baby of the rich breastmilk microbiome, and impairs the normal development of the newborn’s immune system and maturation of the baby’s gut microbiome. (5). Exclusive breastfeeding has a protective role of breast-feeding against the development of diarrhoea and necrotizing enterocolitis in the newborn and allergic and autoimmune diseases in childhood, including coeliac disease type I diabetes and atopic dermatitis. Later in life, breast-feeding has been associated to a reduced risk of inflammatory bowel diseases, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and type-2 diabetes. (7).

Many woman are exclusively breastfeeding, oh ja, except for that top up or 2 that baby received in the hospital, or some choose for various reasons to mix feed. Breastfed and formula fed infants have different gut flora. The science bit: Breastfed babies have a lower gut pH (acidic environment) of approximately 5.1-5.4 throughout the first six weeks that is dominated by bifidobacteria with reduced pathogenic (disease-causing) microbes such as E coli, bacteroides, clostridia, and streptococci. Babies fed formula have a high gut pH of approximately 5.9-7.3 with a variety of putrefactive bacterial species. When formula supplements are given to breastfed babies during the first seven days of life, the production of a strongly acidic environment is delayed and its full potential may never be reached. Breastfed infants who receive supplements, develop gut flora and behavior like formula-fed infants, the dominance of bifidobacteria during exclusive breastfeeding decreases when infant formula is added to the diet. (6). Exclusive and partial formula-feeding have been shown to alter the gut microbiome toward adult patterns, increase proinflammatory bacteria,  and increase gut permeability, and result in lower concentrations of fecal short-chain fatty acids compared with exclusive breastfeeding. (8).

Now you are thinking so what? What all this leads to is that just one bottle can have a long-term consequence on immune health as well as reduced protection against overweight and obesity.

These are just a few examples of how the microbiome can be altered at birth, and as research in this field expands, there will be an impact on our birth plans and how we are treated in maternity care facilities. You are the advocate for your baby, when you are putting together your birth plan, add microbiome to the google search, and insist that your health care team THINK GUT.

Samantha Crompton RN.RM.RCM.RP. SACLC

References

1.    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/12/27/seeding-baby-microbiome.aspx. The Importance of Reducing Your Toxic Burden When Planning to Start a Family. December 27, 2014. Dr. Mercola

2.    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3340594/. The Human Microbiome and Its Potential Importance to Pediatrics Coreen L. Johnson, PhD^a and James Versalovic, MD, PhD^b

3.    https://healthfinder.gov/News/Article.aspx?id=711974. Antibiotics, Formula Feeding Might Change Baby's 'Microbiome'. C-section birth may also diminish diversity of these colonies of helpful microbes, study shows.

 

4.    Cesarean versus Vaginal Delivery: Long term infant outcomes and the Hygiene Hypothesis. Josef Neu, MD^a,b,a,b and Jona Rushing, MD^. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3110651/

 

5.    How the 'Microbiome' Affects Your Baby's Birth and Health. https://www.bastyr.edu/news/health-tips-spotlight-1/2015/06/how-microbiome-affects-your-babys-birth-and-health. By Penny Simkin, PT, CCE, CD(DONA)

6.    Supplementation of the Breastfed Baby “Just One Bottle Won’t Hurt”---or Will It? Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC. January 2014.

 

7.    Effect of Breast and Formula Feeding on Gut Microbiota Shaping in Newborns. Federica Guaraldi¹ and Guglielmo Salvatori², https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3472256/