Creating a Special Infant Formula for Babies Born by Caesarean Section to Support Healthy Gut Development and Immunity

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to develop a special infant formula to support healthy gut colonization and improve the lipid makeup for babies born by caesarean section. These babies, representing about 20% of births in France, often face short- and long-term health challenges due to altered microbiota from cesarean delivery. The study focuses on creating a nutritional option tailored to their unique needs, addressing a gap where no specific care currently exists for this group. The project involves isolating beneficial probiotics from breast milk and stool samples of vaginally born babies and breastfeeding mothers, then formulating an enhanced milk enriched with these probiotics and natural bioactive lipids like DHA and alkylglycerols. The formula will be evaluated preclinically for its potential benefits in a cesarean birth model, aiming to mimic the protective effects of breast milk that cesarean-born infants may miss. Participants include breastfeeding mothers aged 18 and older who have breastfed for less than six months and their exclusively breastfed babies under six months born vaginally at term. Researchers will collect breast milk and stool samples to study the viability of supplemented probiotics and levels of bioactive lipids in the developed formula over up to three years. The study will monitor the safety and potential impact of this optimized nutrition on infant health and development.

Improving Nutrition for Babies Born by Caesarean Section