As we have said on other occasions, the cow's milk protein It is the first cause of childhood allergy. When this happens to a baby, breastfeeding mothers have to stop consuming dairy products and foods that may contain such protein, and the baby cannot try foods with cow's milk protein until the relevant solutions are carried out. and tests show that allergy no longer exists.
Faced with so many problems, experts have been investigating for some time to discover what are the reasons for this allergy, and what is the best way to prevent it, if there is any way to do it. The last thing they discovered is that Babies born by caesarean section may have twice the risk of ending up having this allergy than those born by vaginal delivery.
The key is the intestinal flora
There are many investigations that are showing that our intestinal flora (also known as microbiota) has a key role in intolerances, allergies and even other autoimmune diseases. That is why it is important that caesarean section, which also carries other associated risks, is carried out when necessary and not as a first option without medical indication (There are countries where doctors let women choose, in an act totally discouraged by the World Health Organization).
To reach this conclusion, researchers from the Pirovano Hospital of Buenos Aires, in Argentina, have carried out a study under the title "Is cesarean delivery a risk factor for the development of APLV in Argentine infants?", In the that, between 2010 and 2014, the data of 238 seven-month-old babies were analyzed, with an average weight of 3,149 grams at birth and with symptoms of allergy to cow's milk protein (APLV). Seeing how these babies were born, they saw that 56.3% of them were born by caesarean section and the remaining 43.7% by vaginal delivery.
The research has been published in the journal Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and as we read in Telam, Boggio Marzet, who led the study, talks about the results obtained:
The main conclusion is that those children who do not transit the vaginal canal have twice the risk of developing this type of allergy and also late reactions such as gastroesophageal reflux and colic, although it is not the only factor that conditions. The baby receives those first beneficial germs from his mother and nose during his passage through the vaginal canal and lodges in his intestine. On the other hand, the first germs received by those born by caesarean section are those that circulate in the delivery room, which will not help you in the development of your immune system in the intestine.
There is even more risk in other cases
If it is necessary to administer antibiotics to the mother during childbirth, if the birth is premature or if she does not drink breast milk, the risk of allergies is even greater, because the baby's microbiota will be altered, being very different from what would be had the assumption that everything had happened according to the natural order of things: term vaginal delivery, without medication, and subsequent breastfeeding.
Possible solutions
Obviously, because the only risk of a C-section is not this, the best solution is for health professionals to advocate for a delivery as normal as possible, letting the woman act (and mother nature) and giving her support and affection so that she knows she is capable and has confidence in her possibilities (come on, that the caesarean section is done only if necessary).
In case it has to be done, there are other possible solutions to alleviate the modifications of the intestinal flora that occur after a C-section. On the one hand, it is possible to use the gauze method previously introduced in the mother's vagina, which it passes through the baby's face after the intervention. If diseases that can be transmitted in this way are ruled out, it seems to be useful in this regard.
Another solution is to breastfeed the baby, logically, so that it has all the bacteria of the mother, which your body already knows because it has developed within it.
And then there is the option of having furry animals at home. As we said not long ago, the benefits of sharing space with them are even seen at three months old, reducing the risk of allergies and even obesity.
Luckily, the APLV has a good prognosis
And if, despite all this, a child ends up having an allergy to cow's milk protein, it is already known: avoid all foods that may contain it (which can be quite hard for some children and families, but not there is another) and follow the appropriate controls, since many children manage to overcome it before the age of three old.
Photos | iStock
In Babies and more | Caesarean birth, Future mom: distrust the doctor who recommends a caesarean section in a normal pregnancy, is the caesarean section affecting human evolution by allowing the survival of large babies to be born?
