Delivery

Believe it or not, the birthing process can influence the allergic risk of your child.

Vaginal birth vs. C-section

The mother's microbiome is directly taken advantage of during vaginal delivery. The baby will come into contact with bacteria from the mother via the vaginal fluids, which establish the foundation for its own microbiome.

In a C-section, the baby has altered exposure to bacteria during delivery, causing the development of a different microbiome than its mother's. This altered microbiome contains more hospital-acquired bacteria and increases the newborn's susceptibility to allergies.¹⁰

Vaginal seeding, exposing a C-section baby to vaginal fluids after birth, can help stimulate the protective effects of vaginal birth by exposing the baby to its mother's microbiome.³⁰

Antibiotics are another variable contributing to a C-section's adverse outcomes as they disrupt the microbiome of both mother and child. Unlike vaginal birth, where antibiotic use is less common, they are commonly used prophylactically before a C-section.

Vaginal birth is more protective than a C-section for preventing allergies.