Expectant mothers everywhere are now intrigued by a new childbirth procedure known as vaginal seeding. There's little scientific evidence to back its validity, but this hasn't stopped childbearing women from asking their doctors about it.
According to CNN, vaginal seeding is the process of extracting a mother's vaginal fluid with a swab and wiping it on the new-born child. The practice, which is also known as bacteria swabbing, is mostly done to C-section babies in order for them to be exposed to beneficial bacteria.
London pediatrician Aubrey Cunnington said there have been numerous researches that suggest C-section babies are more prone to health issues than infants that were born vaginally. However, there's not much evidence linking the health risks to the lack of vaginal fluid a child is exposed to.
Cunnington and his associates spoke lengthily about vaginal seeding in an article published this week in the British Medical Journal. He hopes the feature will help other doctors feel they have support regarding the matter.
"I think it would be helpful to have some guidelines on this," said Cunnington. "It's very hard to make guidelines when you have almost no evidence."
Dr. Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, a professor at New York University's School of Medicine, has been one of the few who have done extensive research on vaginal seeding. She shared to Body and Soul that C-section babies who are exposed to vaginal fluid can benefit from the practice, but only minimally.
"We can't restore them 100 percent, which isn't surprising when you consider how long a baby is exposed to the vaginal microbes during labor," she explained. "But there might be a window very early on after birth when we can help balance the immune system."
Some doctors who oppose vaginal seeding argued that it may cause C-section babies to develop an infection. A mother's vaginal fluid may also carry pathogens like chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and group B streptococcus.
