Step 1:

I feel I have learned a lot of interesting things through this term from this class. I thought the mothers pregnancy and its effect on the infant’s microbiome was really cool and interesting. I also found it interesting how our gut microbiota could affect multiple areas of our health such as fetitly and our eyes and contacts.  I also did not know that there was such a correlation between certain diseases like IBD and imbalances of the gut microbiome.  I am still interested in learning about probiotics and antibiotics, and how staying at hospitals could actually pose a greater risk for infection and bacterial resistance. I feel like probiotics is still an awareness I could possibly dive deeper into because I want to know more about them.

Step 2:   I thought the mothers pregnancy and its effect on the infant’s microbiome was really cool and interesting.

Step 3:

I knew from a previous course that mothers shared antibodies with the fetus but I had never considered that pathogens could also be shared with the fetus. I also found it really interesting in class when we discussed how birth delivery had an effect on an infant’s microbiome and how the infant’s diet was not as influenced by breastmilk as I assumed that it would. It does make me wonder if the mothers diet during pregnancy affects the microbiome of an infant. Or what if certain activities affect the microbiome. For example, expecting mothers that do go for walks and stay physically active during their pregnancy vs mothers that do not, does that play a role in affecting the child’s microbiome? I also wonder if mothers who got sick more often than others would make their child’s microbiome more diverse? 

Step 4: After this free write I think I will definitely be doing my paper on certain habits of expecting mothers and how that may play a role in the infants microbiome. I am also curious to see if maybe an age difference between pregnant women would affect the microbiome of their infant.