Whilst the journey of pregnancy can feel wild and unpredictable, it is empowering to know that there are some simple dietary and lifestyle tools mums-to-be use to support the health of the baby and their journey into motherhood.
We have long known that maternal and neonatal health outcomes can be influenced by nutrient availability (hello folate and iodine), but what might be news to your ears is how important maternal microbiome health can be throughout preconception, pregnancy, and lactation. In short, mums have an opportunity to influence their pregnancy journey and provide their little person with the best start to life simply by optimizing their gut health and nutritional intake. In fact, during the first 1,000 days of life, we have the opportunity to influence the health and genetic expression of the next generation and perhaps generations that come simply by ensuring that mothers-to-be have adequate nutrition and good microbiome health.
Introducing The Maternal Microbiome
A total of 10–100 trillion microbes live symbiotically within us and a growing pool of data shows us that they play a crucial role in our physical and mental wellbeing - starting from the time we are conceived. Research shows that maternal gut microbes - the maternal microbiome - can impact the health of a mum-to-be and her baby throughout her pregnancy and lactation journey. The maternal microbiome has been shown to influence nutrient absorption during pregnancy, and fetal growth and play an instrumental role in the development of an infant's microbiome, setting up their overall health from the very beginning.
How To Optimise This Window of Opportunity
Eating well during pregnancy can be a challenge and sometimes just getting food in and keeping it down can be a win - and that is totally normal and ok. The good news is that probiotic supplementation during pregnancy has been shown to influence the gut microbiota of both mum and baby, despite dietary intake. Some papers have even shown that supplementation with specific probiotic strains at certain doses during pregnancy and lactation can reduce the risk of allergy-based conditions such as eczema and behavioural diagnoses (including attention deficit disorder) in children. The Lactobacillus rhamnosus (HN001®) in BePure Kids Daily Probiotic is one of these specific strains that has been shown to optimise the maternal and infant microbiome and ward of eczema in the next generation when taken during pregnancy, lactation, and in the first few years of life.
We know that eczema is a growing issue for little folks of the modern world and we want to help change that by providing you and your baby with a targeted and broad-spectrum probiotic and prebiotic blend designed to support your gut health and the health of your little person from the day they arrive on the planet.
If you would like support with your preganancy journey please book in for a free clinic discovery call.
