Microbes from Mom

Vaginal Birth vs C-Section

Do you remember your first birthday present? No? Good, because it’s gross.

Your first birthday present was actually the microbial bath you got if your mother delivered you vaginally — the beginning of your very own microbiome. But nearly a third of babies in the US are born through Caesarean section, which means they miss out on this microbial inoculation. Some researchers think this may lead to an increased risk of conditions like allergies and asthma, which is why Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, an associate professor at NYU School of Medicine, has come up with a simple solution that could reduce this risk. Ed Yong discusses the importance of this “bacterial bath” with Dr. Dominguez-Bello and learns how C-section newborns can still receive their mom’s bacterial gift through microbial swabbing.

I Contain Multitudes is a multi-part video series dedicated to exploring the wonderful, hidden world of the microbiome. The series is hosted by science writer Ed Yong and produced by HHMI Tangled Bank Studios in association with Room 608.