Writing Exercise #7


Pregnancy can be a terrifying thing, and something that may be undermined by many people is its role in microbial communities. An important factor to maintaining healthy gut microbial communities before and during pregnancy is a healthy diet. Another factor that plays a crucial role in both mother and offspring is the use of antibiotics. Antibiotics in the mother are typically aimed at aiding with an infection of some type, however they have consequences on the offspring as they can potentially have weakened immune responses and even weak locomotive actions due to insoluble antibiotics. There is an opposite affect for mothers on probiotics, as an increased amount of microbiota during the last 2 weeks of pregnancy allows for the offspring to be exposed to a larger amount of bacteria, thus allowing for more to develop in the child’s own microbiome. This increase has shown to lower the chances of eczema and strengthens the immune system. Breastfeeding also plays a crucial role in the microbiome of the offspring, as it exposes the child to different bacteria throughout a timeframe, which initially contains antibodies and useful bacteria such as Leuconostoc which can help inhibit the growth of pathogens. Breastfeeding also ties in with diet, as a mother who is overweight will carry more staphylococcus which can cause complications later on in life for the child. Diet of the mother appears to be the main factor that contributes to the bacteria that the offspring is exposed to.

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