There are many ways that a mother can influence her fetus’s microbial community while in the womb, both positive and negative. Her own gut microbiota can influence the baby’s, so the conscious choices she makes in nutrition will be a factor in what the baby is exposed to. She will have to make healthy decisions in her diet since the fetus is also feeding off of her. The mother’s weight gain or loss will also affect the baby because it is directly connected to her and her health. Healthy weight gain that is expected during pregnancy is crucial for supporting the baby, but if she loses weight then there is a chance that the baby will not get the nutrients it needs and therefore its gut’s microbiome will lack in diversity. There can also be bacteria in the amniotic fluid, exposure to antibiotics that can affect the fetus, and even factors such as smoking, social interactions, or hygiene of the mother that will influence the child’s exposure to microbes, whether good or bad depending on the situation (smoking and alcohol is bad; good hygiene and healthy social interactions are good!). However, the child is not only affected during its time in the womb. During birth, the baby is exposed to numerous different types of environments that will ultimately play into what kinds of microbes find their way into his/her system. Then, the foods and liquids that the baby is sustained on for the first part of its life will develop the specific types of “normal” gut microbiota that the baby will host. Every step of the child’s development is essential to the growth and prosperity of its microbiome!
