Barriers to Breastfeeding: Supporting Initiation and Continuation of Breastfeeding ACOG Committee Opinion, Number 821 The first step to solving any problem is to acknowledge that problem. If you don't recognise or identify the existence of a problem, this will delay finding a solution. The...

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Wow. I love this new research on tandem breastfeeding which suggests breast milk adapts to the nutrititional requirements of both a newborn and an older child. This lends further evidence to support breastfeeding for as long as possible. Tandem breastfeeding is when a mum provides breast...

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I love this in-depth BBC World Service radio programme/podcast on the importance of microbes for human heath. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme asks whether extra cleaning and over-sanitising could be affecting the microbes needed for optimal health. The programme explores the...

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If you have seen our MICROBIRTH film, or taken our INFANT MICROBIOME & EPIGENETICS course, you will know that Dr Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello (now at Rutgers University) is currently researching the idea of vaginal seeding. Vaginal seeding, also known as "swab-seeding" involves...

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Do you know the difference between SECRETORS and NON-SECRETORS in breastfeeding mothers? If you are a health professional who supports mothers to breastfeed, or a childbirth educator, or an expectant parent, this is a really important thing to know. In short – secretor mothers produce...

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I love this research. Makes my own heart sing! A new "Singing Kangaroo" small study by Kostilainen K. et al., (2020) looked at the impact of 24 mothers who sang or hummed to their preterm infants whilst held skin-to-skin. The research found this can reduce the mother's anxiety, relax the...

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New research can help explain why breastfed babies have improved immune systems. The team from the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust discovered immunological mechanisms that could help explain the long-term positive health effects of...

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"There seems to be a clear connection between the altered gut microbiome and severe COVID-19." - Heenam Stanley Kim, Ph.D., Microbiologist (quoting from News-Medical.net article) A new research article by Kim et al., (2021) makes the case that poor gut health may exacerbate the severity...

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For the first time, scientists have found strong links between what someone eats, the microbes in their gut microbiome, and a person's health. The PREDICT 1 study by Asnicar F. et al., (2021) included researchers from King's College London, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health,...

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According to data collected from 446 individual human milk banks (HMBs), over 800,000 babies receive donor human milk around the world each year. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, milk banking services were hugely affected, as donor milk services are vulberable to new infectious pathogens. But...

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