Vaginal Seeding (At Caesarean)

Many women have heard about, and may be interested in, the practice of ‘seeding’.

Seeding is undertaken in women whose baby has been born by caesarean section. The mother’s vaginal fluids are applied to the baby’s mouth, face and body shortly after birth.

The intention behind seeding is to expose the baby delivered by caesarean section to bacteria similar to that of babies born vaginally.

While the transfer of bacteria at the time of birth can alter developing microbiota, and babies will have a different exposure and balance of bacteria depending on their mode of birth, the health implications for babies requires further research.

I would not recommend it at this time. While it is no doubt true that the micribiota for vaginally and caesarean delivered infants differ, the is the risk of more harm than good. It would be sensible to wait rather than jumping on a bandwagon.