Eli5: how do babies acquire the right bacteria in the right places?

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I read a massive amount of bacteria is symbiotic to humans. For a newborn, how do they get it?

In: Biology

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

A lot comes from their mother, largely during birth and immediately afterward through skin to skin contact, literally kissing the baby, and breastfeeding. And then general exposure to the environment and other people.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Birth is a very messy process and isn’t particularly fast. Remember that George Carlin joke about the sewage being next to the playground? There are benefits to that; it’s becoming increasingly common to get a swab from the mother during c-sections to put on the baby after birth so babies can jumpstart their microbiome.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Swab after c sections? Definitely a TIL fact for me.