Your Baby’s Microbiome: The Critical Role of Vaginal Birth and Breastfeeding for Lifelong Health

Filmmaker couple Harman and Wakeford, who made the documentary Microbirth, share important information about infant health and the microbiome that they’ve learned from the “A-team of experts” interviewed for their movie. Each chapter title takes the form of a question, such as “What is the Human Microbiome?” and “What Do Bacteria Have to Do with Birth?” The human microbiome, the authors explain in the introduction, consists of the trillions of microorganisms (mostly bacteria) that live on and in the body, and its most critical period of formation is around childbirth. Chapter one further addresses where these bacteria reside and what they do, as well as their relationship with antibiotics. Subsequent chapters reveal that during vaginal birth, the baby is exposed to many beneficial microbes, that formula lacks key microbe-related ingredients in breast milk, and that babies born via C-section are often not exposed to the mother’s vaginal or intestinal microbes. Harman and Wakeford also delve into epigenetics, bacteria’s role in the immune system, and options for mothers who can’t breastfeed or have vaginal deliveries. This is a no-frills, easily comprehensible book that conveys the essentials of Harman and Wakeford’s research into childbirth. (Feb.)