The effect of caesarean section on your little one's immunity & how to recover it

Caesarean section or c-section has an effect on your little one's immunity. The reason is, based on research published in Science Magazine, children born through cesarean delivery are not exposed to good bacteria obtained from the birth canal or the mother's vagina.

In fact, these good bacteria are believed to reduce the risk of health problems and the growth and development of your little one. Therefore, their bodies are believed to be more susceptible to disease.

The effect of caesarean section on the little one's immune system

Bacteria in the body of pregnant women, not only affect the health of the mother, but also the babies they are carrying.

According to research results from the United States National Academy of Sciences, when a baby is born through normal delivery, the baby's body will naturally fill with good bacteria, such as Lactobacillus, Prevotella or Sneathia spp. These good bacteria can be obtained from your birth canal or vagina.

In the same study, babies with normal births were believed to be exposed to good bacteria from the surface of their skin, such as Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, and Propionibacterium spp.

Meanwhile, babies born by caesarean section do not get these good bacteria. This is because the baby is removed by making an incision in the abdomen.

Even so, babies who have a cesarean delivery will still be exposed to good bacteria from the surface of the mother's skin if you carry them immediately after the delivery process.

Without good bacteria from your birth canal or vagina, your little one who is born by caesarean section will find it more difficult to fight off infections and may experience growth and development disorders because it affects their immunity.

Diseases that are prone to attack babies born in cesarean section

Quoting from the results of a study published by the National Library of Medicine in the United States, your little one who was born by caesarean section is more likely to develop the following diseases:

Asthma
Connective tissue disease
Arthritis
Inflammation of the intestine
Immunodeficiency
Leukemia

In addition to the six diseases above, based on the results of research by the American Diabetes Association, the effect of a cesarean section is an increased risk of 20% for your little one to experience type 1 diabetes during his infancy.

Even so, not all children born by caesarean section will experience this. Mothers can still prevent this by restoring the balance of good bacteria for their little one through adequate nutrition.

Restores the balance of good bacteria through breast milk

Mothers don't need to worry about the effects of post-cesarean section which can affect the little one's immune system. Mothers can increase their immune system through breastfeeding programs through breastfeeding.

According to the recommendation of the Ministry of Health, exclusive breastfeeding (breast milk) must be given to babies from 0 months to 6 months of age, and continued breastfeeding until the little one is 2 years old or more to improve their health. Meanwhile, in children born by caesarean section, breast milk is believed to restore the balance of good bacteria in the body.

Benefits and content of breast milk

Breast milk is very beneficial for your little one because it is rich in nutrients needed for children's growth and also contains antibodies to maintain his immune system.

Antibodies in breast milk are contained in colostrum or breast milk that is first released after delivery. Colostrum is rich in protein, fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, and immunoglobulins which are essential to protect your little one from disease early in life.

Breast milk also contains protein, fat, sugar and white blood cells. These nutrients help fight infections in your little one's digestion.

Other nutrients in breast milk that can stimulate and boost your little one's immune system are lactoferrin and interleukins-6, -8 and -10. This protein can balance the response to inflammation of your little one's immune system.

Your baby's immune system can also be formed from good bacteria in breast milk, namely probiotics. Not only the immune system, these bacteria can improve digestive health, reduce the risk of cancer, allergies, asthma, obesity and other chronic diseases that threaten the health of your little one.

Another content that is no less important in breast milk is human milk oligosaccharides (HMO). HMOs act as prebiotics and are useful for controlling baby's weight. This prebiotic is believed to reduce body fat, so that the baby's risk of obesity is smaller.

Both probiotics and prebiotics have differences that you need to know. Probiotics are good bacteria that can maintain health, while prebiotics are foods that can support the survival of good bacteria (probiotics) in the body. Additional information about prebiotics as foods from probiotics

In addition, breast milk also contains synbiotics (a combination of prebiotics and probiotics) which bring more benefits to the body. For example, it can restore the balance of bacterial colonization and optimize the immunity of your little one.

Nutrients that can improve the quality of breast milk

Given the importance of breast milk for the health and development of the baby, you can consume foods and drinks that are rich in nutrients to improve the quality of breast milk. Quality breast milk can certainly protect your little one from diseases that are prone to attack as they grow.

Here are some nutrients that are believed to improve the quality of breast milk: