As a Holistic Nutrition Consultant for pregnancy, postpartum and babies, I will be sharing how to support your gut after antibiotics use during labour.
Many women are administered antibiotics during labour for various reasons, like testing positive for Group B Streptococcus or due to having a c-section.
If you have been given antibiotics during your labour or your pregnancy, then this will be a helpful post for you in getting your microbiome (gut) back into balance. It also affects your baby’s health, so I will share some practical ways you can naturally and safely support your newborn’s little gut.
What is interesting to me is that I was given antibiotics with my first born, as I tested positive for Group B Strep. This was almost seven years ago, when I knew nothing about the repercussions of antibiotic use on gut health. I didn’t do anything to support my microbiome after birth. Coincidence or not, but my daughter suffers from severe eczema and allergies to this day. This is part of the reason why I am passionate about educating other women to know the impact of antibiotics on their gut.
What we know about birth and bacteria
First, let’s dive into the impact of birth on your baby.
One study shows that if you give birth vaginally, your baby will be predominantly covered in lactobacillus. Whereas if your baby was born via c-section, they would be colonised by a mixture of skin flora and bacteria found in hospitals.
This is why vaginal seeding is becoming popular to generate more good bacteria exposure to babies born via c-section. If you want to know more about vaginal seeding, here is an informative post.
If you’ve had a c-section or were administered antibiotics for Group B Strep and didn’t do vaginal seeding, don’t fear. Having skin-to-skin with your baby and even breastfeeding them helps to support their little gut in immeasurable ways.
So, how can you support your microbiome after birth?
It’s not too late to help your gut get back into full health after birth. You can even nip it in the bud while pregnant. Below, I will list some ways you can support your gut during pregnancy.
How to support your gut during pregnancy
If you know you have tested positive for Group B Strep or are going to have a c-section or you just may want to support your gut, there are a few things you can do:
- Eat high quality fermented foods regularly: like sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, kefir, plain yoghurt, pickles and buttermilk (quality is important, so source these from a reliable whole foods store rather than your regular supermarket).
- Take a high quality probiotic supplement: you can take a probiotic supplement if it contains plenty of strains of bacteria (The Life Space probiotic for pregnancy and breastfeeding is a good one).
- Eliminate foods and toxins that negatively impact the gut like artificial sugars, processed foods and unsafe toxins.
How to support your gut after birth
You can follow the above steps after birth by eating quality fermented foods, taking a high quality probiotic and eliminating foods that negatively impact your gut. These steps will help to balance out your microbiome after you implement them for a while. It will also help restore the good bacteria in your baby’s gut, especially if you choose to breastfeed.
What also supports both your and baby’s gut is prolonged skin-to-skin and breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth.
Probiotic supplementing for your baby
If you used antibiotics during pregnancy or labour, then I would highly recommend supplementing your baby with a baby-safe probiotic. If you breastfeed, your milk will provide good microbes for your baby’s gut, but an extra probiotic supplement is helpful in restoring the gut to health after the negative impacts of antibiotics. If you formula-feed your baby, then I would recommend supplementing your baby with a probiotic even more strongly.
How to administer the probiotic?
For breastfed babies, place the appropriate amount of powder onto your nipple and have the baby suck onto it as they feed.
For formula-fed babies, place the appropriate amount of powder or drops into the formula and feed accordingly.
Most probiotic powders and drops are tasteless, so your baby should not be able to tell the difference.
Here is the brand I used for my son when he was a newborn.
A caution on using probiotics supplements
If you are new to supplementing with probiotics, then I strongly suggest taking a smaller dose to start with and gradually increasing your intake day-by-day, to avoid stomach upset.
How much to take
If you choose to take a probiotic supplement, then I suggest taking a 30-80 CFU billion dosage. Higher doses for a short period of time for those who were administered antibiotics may be beneficial, but consult your doctor first.
How probiotics support your baby’s gut
Whether you are eating naturally fermented foods or taking a high quality probiotic supplement, these can support your baby’s gut by:
- Encouraging a robust immune system
- Reducing the risk of yeast overgrowth/thrush in mouth
How probiotics support your gut
- Supports your digestion
- Strengthens your immune system
- Restores balance to your microbiome
- Reduces the likelihood of mastitis (study)
Ways to eat probiotic-rich food
There are plenty of ways you can incorporate fermented foods into your diet. Many people are reluctant to try it, because it is not often a typical type of food in western diet. Once you source good quality, you won’t ever go back!
Here are some ways to eat probiotic-rich food:
- Traditionally fermented pickles in a hearty homemade burger
- Kefir with fruit and nuts
- Plain yoghurt with berries
- Sauerkraut in a Reuben sandwich
- Miso in miso soup or any soup for that matter
- Kimchi in a nutritious salad
- Naturally ferment your carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, capsicum and cabbage
A note on kombucha intake during pregnancy
It’s a common misconception that you should not have kombucha during pregnancy, but from an informed, holistic perspective, if you love kombucha like me, take these into consideration before consuming:
- Caffeine levels: kombucha contains some caffeine (depending on the brand), but usually way less than a cup of coffee. While this seems negligible, your body during pregnancy is much more sensitive to caffeine.
- Acidity and alcohol: Kombucha that’s too basic presents a minor risk for pathogenic bacteria. However, low levels of alcohol can form if kombucha is fermented for too long. Store-bought varieties monitor their levels of both, but this can also be tested at home.
- Sugar levels: sugar feeds the fermentation, but some brands add additional sugar, so be wary of this. You want to be looking for sugar content no more than 2-6g per 8oz.
Want to book an online consultation with me?
I support women who are pregnant and their babies with holistic nutrition support. Click here to enquire about a consultation.
Comment below if you have any questions about gut health during pregnancy/after birth!
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