There are many factors that could influence the health and colonization of the mother and child during pregnancy. Such factors include where the mother lives, what she eats, what her other health habits are like, whether or not she gets and infection during pregnancy (thinking of Zika or Toxoplasma Gondii), how she gives birth (C-section or natural), and what she feeds her child postnatally.
Where the mother lives can determine what kind of microbiome she has due to many factors such as how developed her homeland is, what kind of climate it has, and the quality of medical care available. What she eats can have an effect on her microbiome and subsequently, what kind of microbes might be predisposed to colonizing what will become the newborn child. Health habits can affect her microbiome, such as the over or underuse of antibiotics, smoking, and drinking. Positive examples also include exercise and hygiene. Infection during pregnancy can have detrimental effects on the mother and child, especially Zika and T. Gondii because they can cause brain damage in the fetus. It has been shown that birth by C-section causes the child to harbor microbiota most similar to the mother’s skin, whereas a natural birth leads to a colonization profile similar to the mother’s birth canal. When a child breastfeeds, they not only are nourished by the mother’s milk, but the microbes that live on her skin.
