Submitted by molllymaybe t3_y6z25l in askscience
squigster037 t1_issp9ex wrote
Most bacteria comes from the breast milk. Not from blood during birth. And most women poop way before birth, and hospitals don't let them eat much to avoid poop on the newborn. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2019.00047/full
NurseMitchell t1_isstmgs wrote
Its to lower the risk of aspiration (vomit being inhaled - can cause pneumonia and even death) if the woman needs a c-section than poop on the baby. When laying flat or being put under anaesthetic there's a higher risk of aspiration for pregnant woman than the regular person as pregnancy hormones relax everything, including the sphincter keeping food in the stomach. It's the same idea as being fasted before surgery. I'm a nurse and studying to be a midwife and to my knowledge, it's never had anything to do with pooping on the baby. I do remember while at uni seeing and reading some studies investigating the role of vaginal flora on inoculating babies' gut biomes, so it is believed to contribute, but breast milk absolutely does provide a good amount as well, you're right.
kenhutson t1_isv1qgl wrote
Technically a chemical pneumonitis rather than a pneumonia, but yes mostly what you said.
alicemalice12 t1_issqv2d wrote
Don't they make you eat if your blood sugar drops?
When-Lost-At-Sea t1_isv544y wrote
They can have a liquids tray: a warm thin soup broth, unsweetened juice, popsicles, jello.
squigster037 t1_isv4tj4 wrote
Sure, or for longer labors. But my point was there isn't commonly a lot of poop involved in hospital birth. Certainly not enough to create the gut biome.
[deleted] t1_isw1qzl wrote
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molllymaybe OP t1_isvpo62 wrote
This is a really cool read thank you!
[deleted] t1_isugtga wrote
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