Pregnancy, breastfeeding, baby
We recommend that you discuss with your Healthcare Practitioner before consuming Akesi’s food-based Bio-Fermented Tonics if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Our Bio-Fermented Tonic range is not suitable for children under 3 years of age, however our Probiotic+ Powder range is ideal. Why?
Probiotic supplements work as an add-on to the diet. They encourage the resident microbiota to change, for example to increase production of certain metabolites. One group of these metabolites are SCFA (Short Chain Fatty Acids) which improve the integrity of the gut wall. They also interact with other body systems to provide equilibrium between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes.
At different points in human life there are significant shifts in the gut microbiota. These occur when a woman is pregnant; when a child is born; during the first 6 months of life and up to the age of 3. Other considerations are rural vs urban lifestyle, poverty, antibiotic exposure, environmental toxin exposure and infections.
The minimisation of negative impacts to the microbiota are important but are particularly relevant when pregnant, breastfeeding and during the first 3 years of life.
Pregnancy and Birth
- The maternal microbiota will influence the profile of the baby’s microbiota. All the more reason to maintain a diet full of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains using a probiotic supplement as it’s intended – as an add-on. Both Probiotic+ BASE and Probiotic+ Elderberry are suitable during pregnancy.
- Emerging research in the area of gut health suggests that a c-section (potentially because of the disruption to the development of a diverse microbiota) is associated with higher relative risks of developing allergies, asthma and obesity.
- Whilst breastfeeding is an ideal goal, it isn’t always possible for many reasons, using a probiotic supplement with Infant Formula can be a suitable alternative.
- Introducing Probiotic+ BASE Powder from birth will help establish (or in some cases replenish) a diverse gut microbiota.
Breastfeeding
Your specific microbiota is unique to you. You largely inherit an imprint of the founding bacterial species from your mother and the journey of the microbes starts in-utero. Every factor from what your mother ate, whether she had antibiotics, how you were born, who you lived with, how you were weaned all impact the foundational microbiota. What’s so important to remember is no matter what stage you are at, it’s dynamic, you can change your microbiota by changing your next meal.
