C-section? Cool, Swab & Suck
Establishing a newborn’s gut flora and the development of his or her immune system almost seems like a slam-dunk to me. However, I saw a handful of pregnant women that quickly reminded me that an infant’s gut bacteria flora is hardly a hot topic conversation.
I was reminded today that the nutrition of newborns in our country is hardly within focus.
Nutrition directly affects your immune system. Poor nutritient consumption can lead to a vast array of issues from developmental issues, allegry/asthma related, IBS, headaches, and a number of other ailments. There is no better way to lay the foundation of your newborn’s gut flora than with bacteria from a mother’s vaginal canal and through breast milk. However, it seems as though our country has forgotten to put that on a billboard or in a movie somewhere.
Allowing the baby to enter the world via the vaginal canal sets the baby up for greater success nutritionally and developmentally. That’s a win in my books.
Here are articles to support this idea:
- Babies Born By Cesarean Section May Not Gain Benefits of Vaginal Microbiome
- C-section Babies Missing Crucial Get Bacteria, Study Finds
- Science and Sensibility: Unintended Consequences
- The Connection Between Dirty Diapers and Childhood Health
BUT, not everything thing can go as planned. That’s where the “Swab & Suck” method comes into play. If your baby is born via cesarean section, then perhaps you may want to take a swab of your vaginal canal. Once you have the swab, you can rub it on your breasts so that your baby born via c-section is exposed to a similar bacteria environment as if were born vaginally. This is a great alternative method to expose the new born to good bacteria except it rarely every mentioned.
Swab & Suck!
Workout
Yoga-Like Series
Down Dog
Plank
Warrior I
Forward Bend
Inch Worm Back out to Plank
-Repeat on the Opposite Side-
WORKOUT
AMRAP 10min
100 feet Sled Push
7 (Power) Clean and Jerk
MODIFICATIONS
- The sled push can be modified for 60 Lunges.
- You should be able to do all 7 C&J reps in a row, so pick accordingly. 95 lbs would be the RX weight.
