Study explains link between Antibiotics, C-section & Colic/Reflux
Hi all,
I was sent this journal article detailing a study which links maternal use of antibiotics in the first few days after birth with deficiency in babies digestive flora (probiotic 'friendly' bacteria), which are responsible for optimum digestion, breaking down the lactose in milk, and warding off any nasty bacteria or parasites which may enter the body (autoimmune function). The problem is that antibiotics cannot discriminate between good and bad bacteria, and they effectively kill both.
If a woman has had a c-section she will automatically receive antibiotics intravenously to prevent infection, others may be prescribed a course of antibiotics to take orally for some other cause (ie- a haematoma on the perenium).
In the study, faecal matter of newborn infants was examined in babies born to women who did not take antibiotics after giving birth, and compared with the faecal matter of babies born to women who had taken antibiotics.
The study confirmed something I have long suspected - the babies born to women prescribed antibiotics had significantly less microbiota (friendly probiotic bacteria) present in their poo than babies not exposed to antibiotics. Lack of friendly probiotic bacteria in the digestive tract is a common factor in colic and reflux in newborns, and this study supports other studies which have found that babies born via c-section have higher rates of colic and reflux than babies born vaginally.
Of course, this study only examined mothers who breastfed, and thus passed on probiotic-deficient milk to their newborns. The good news is, this issue can be addressed simply by the mother taking a course of probiotic friendly bacteria both simultaneously and for at least a 2 week period following the cessation of antibiotics, in order to boost the probiotic count in the breastmilk, and thus the microbiota present in the infant. Those probiotics which you will find kept in the fridge at your local health food store are recommended. (Metagenics is the practitioners brand). Belly belly also sells the probiotic + superfood supplement 'In-Liven' which contains the full spectrum (13 strains) of the lactobacillus friendly bacteria, and is highly recommended by health professionals. Once opened it needs to be kept in the fridge.
For anyone who is bottlefeeding and suffering with colic etc, most health stores also sell infant probiotics which can be added to their formula - again, needs to be kept in the fridge!
Unfortunately it is unlikely that your doctor or obstetritian etc will inform you about this, which I believe is something that needs to change.
I hope this helps some of you out there. My boy suffered with severe colic after I was administered antibiotics intravenously for a perenial haematoma. I found that taking probiotics helped significantly, although this is the first I have actually come across a study which supports my theory. I have attached the abstract of the study here for anyone who wants to check it out:
FEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY
Volume 56 Issue 1, Pages 80 - 87
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Influence of antibiotic exposure in the early postnatal period on the development of intestinal microbiota
ABSTRACT
The influence of antibiotic exposure in the early postnatal period on the development of intestinal microbiota was monitored in 26 infants including five antibiotic-treated (AT) subjects orally administered a broad-spectrum antibiotic for the first 4 days of life and three caesarean-delivered (CD) subjects whose mothers were intravenously injected by the similar type of antibiotics in the same period. The faecal bacterial composition was analysed daily for the first 5 days and monthly for the first 2 months. Terminal restriction fragment length polymor-phisms in the AT subjects showed less diversity with the attenuation of the colonization of some bacterial groups, especially in Bifidobacterium and unusual colonization of Enterococcus in the first week than the control antibiotic-free infants (AF, n=18). Quantitative real-time PCR showed overgrowth of enterococci (day 3, P=0.01; day 5, P=0.003; month 1, P=0.01) and arrested growth of Bifidobacterium (day 3, P=0.03) in the AT group. Furthermore, after 1 month, the Enterobacteriaceae population was markedly higher in the AT group than in the AF group (month 1, P=0.02; month 2, P=0.02). CD infants sustained similar, although relatively weaker, alteration in the developing microbiota. These results indicate that antibiotic exposure at the beginning of life greatly influences the development of neonatal intestinal microbiota.
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Received 11 July 2008; revised 17 January 2009; accepted 15 February 2009.
First published online 6 April 2009.
