A lot of women start to take a closer look at their health when they become pregnant. The internet is inundated with information so knowing where to begin can seem confusing and overwhelming. Most begin by looking at their diet but did you know that your gut health is super important before and during pregnancy? Better yet, do you know what it means to have a healthy gut? I’m here to tell you all about it because a well-balanced microbiome is baby’s first chance at a healthy start at life!
What is gut health & why should you care about it?
As Hippocrates said many, many moons ago, all health starts in the gut, and we know that to be true now more than ever as it continues to be studied for it’s link to all avenues of health.
When you hear gut health you probably only think of digestive health but it goes far beyond that to whole-body health.
Gut health not only contributes to a strong immune system, but it also improves your brain health, heart health, mental health, and may even help prevent some cancers and autoimmune diseases as well as improve your mood, sleep, and digestive effectiveness.
But, what does gut health mean for your baby?
Microbiota In Utero & Birth
The development of the human gut microbiome begins before birth and proceeds in a systematic manner, affected by factors including maternal microbiome, mode of delivery, maternal and infant diet, and environmental exposures.
Research shows that mom’s gut health and the balance of her microbiota are especially important for her baby in utero. As you get closer to delivery your vaginal microbiome starts changing to resemble your gut microbiome, so when the baby passes through the birth canal all of that good bacteria is transferred to the baby and helps establish the immune system.
Bacteria are also passed from mother to baby through the umbilical cord so a healthy gut microbiome is very important during pregnancy. Many believe that a baby is born with a sterile gut but we know that to not be true.
The health of your baby literally starts in your gut!
Cesarean Birth
With cesarean rates at an
If you didn’t know about a healthy gut microbiome while you were pregnant and didn’t have a vaginal delivery, you can still help inoculate your babies gut with bacteria by breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding
There are over 600-800 species of bacteria in breastmilk that will help inoculate the gut of a newborn baby. There truly is nothing like mommy’s milk as it is the product of millions of years of evolution. More than 200 different sugar compounds are found in human breastmilk and it is thought to be directly related to the feeding of the gut bacteria.
“Infants don’t have the machinery to digest these sugars so they are literally for the bacteria–it’s like a seeding ground, and breast milk is the fertilizer.”
ScienceDaily
Not all mothers can breastfeed for various reasons, whether it’s due to low supply, tongue/lip ties, insufficient glandular tissue, or returning to work, but there are still other options to deliver healthy bacteria to the baby’s gut and one of those ways is by using soil-based probiotics.
Soil-Based Probiotics
If you haven’t heard the term soil-based probiotic before you may be wondering what makes them different than regular probiotics.
Soil-based bacteria have a 3-stage life cycle:
- vegetative
sporulation - germination.
The sporulation phase is closely related to its potential as a probiotic. The endospore’s protective structure keeps the bacteria dormant and against any harm when it travels through the acidic environments of the stomach and upper intestines.
When these probiotic microbiota are ingested, they travel safely to the lower intestine where they come alive.
Like a seed, warm temperatures, moisture, and nutrients stimulate the germination stage where bacteria emerge from dormancy.
Soil-based probiotics are well-adapted to the environment of the gut and have been shown to remain in the digestive tract where they can provide long term benefits.
If you’ve been to my blog before you know I use and trust Just Thrive spore-based probiotics.
For formula-fed babies, simply open a capsule and sprinkle a little into the formula.
Breastfeeding moms can also supplement with probiotics by sprinkling directly onto the nipple before a feed which is very beneficial for a baby born by cesarean but is still breastfed.
Just Thrive spore-based probiotics are odorless and tasteless so baby won’t even notice it’s there!
I highly suggest taking these probiotics before, during, and after pregnancy to help balance your microbiome to be passed on to your baby in utero.
Not only do they arrive 100% alive to the intestine, surviving the harsh stomach acids, but since the vast majority of serotonin and dopamine is made in the gut, they will greatly help with the baby blues and postpartum depression as well.
Start Healing Your Gut Now
Since we know that
In order to clean up your own gut you should start implementing both probiotic and prebiotic foods into your diet.
Probiotic foods actually contain live bacteria whereas prebiotic foods help contribute to the health of your gut by promoting growth and activity of friendly bacteria.
Probiotic foods include:
- -yogurt with live cultures
- -kefir
- -miso
- -sauerkraut
- -kimchi
- -tempeh
- -pickles
- -sourdough bread.
Prebiotic foods include:
- -garlic
- -onions
- -leeks
- -asparagus
- -bananas
- -barley
- -oats
- -apples
- -flaxseed.
Maternal Diet
A diverse microbiome is a healthy microbiome.
Mom’s healthy microbiome = baby’s healthy microbiome.
Bad bacteria feed off of sugar and will throw your microbiome balance off. As we learned above, if your gut is overflowing with bad bacteria, that’s what you’ll be passing on to your baby so take caution when giving in to all those crazy pregnancy cravings.
If you want to give your baby the best head start in life, it starts with you.
A rule I like to follow while pregnant is to adopt a foraging way of eating. Eat small
Keep it diverse and your gut will be happy 🙂
Environment Exposures
We live in an anti-microbial world and that’s a big problem for our gut health. Since we have more bacterial (microbial) cells than we do human cells, what happens to our good gut bacteria in an environment that’s thriving with bad bacteria?
Our guts become unbalanced, also known as gut dysbiosis. A whole slew of health issues comes with an unbalanced gut such as:
- Gastrointestinal issues such as gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea
- fatigue
- depression
- anxiety
- bad breath
- poor immune function
- infertility
- brain fog
- aching joints
- allergies
- asthma
- skin issues such as rashes and eczema
Tips on how you can clean up your environment: how to remove toxins from your home
It’s also just a good idea to start becoming more familiar with toxic products and chemicals before you bring a newborn home.
Not only is important for your health, but I know protecting that newborn baby is at the top of your list right now!
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I hope you have a healthy and happy 9 months!