Prompt: Brainstorm for the final essay
The most recent focus has been on pregnant mothers and how the fetus is influenced by the mother microbiota. I thought it was very interesting that throughout pregnancy the mother’s microbiota changed in composition in the GI, oral cavity, and vagina cavity. The other interesting piece of baby-mother interaction is breastfeeding and the transfer of those microorganisms to the infant. Since, antibiotics are so common it is interesting to learn about the effects it has on our microorganism. I also would like to learn more about what factors can change our skin’s microbiome. I feel as if the GI tract is focused on the most when talking about microorganisms so I enjoyed learning that our skin has it’s own diversity and microbiota composition. Another topic that was mentioned in a recent reading is the oral cavity microbiota and how that can influence periodontal disease or other teeth issues. I think I would enjoy learning more on the oral cavity microbiota and how that affects our overall health or dental health. Probiotics and it’s role in changing our microbiome was a good topic. The relation between cancer and microorganisms was also interesting.
I underlined the transfer of microorganisms to the infant. I specifically was discussing breastfeeding when talking about this transfer. I find that it is more interesting to me than the mode of birth and the influence of the fetus in the placenta. I think breastfeeding is something that is obviously discussed a lot with regards to pregnancy and having children. However, I think the role of the microorganisms in human milk is very minimally discussed. The article we read this week mentioned that for a long time scientists believed that milk was germ-free. I think it would be interesting to see how physicians and researchers reacted to the finding of the many microorganisms in human milk. Breastfeeding seems to be a bit of a sensitive topic for some and I think not shaming those who formula feed their children has become the norm. I think there is less information about the importance of the transfer of microorganisms because of this. I could possibly just believe this though and it is false. Since I am not at the age where I am looking into breastfeeding nor is anyone close to me. I do not think I know the current stance on breastfeeding versus formula feeding.
From this brainstorm, I believe I will write my paper on breastfeeding or dental health and the influence on/by microorganisms.
