El bebé es un mamífero

Description

This new edition of Dr. Michel Odent’s emblematic work is published at a time when a new leap forward, even more spectacular than the previous one, is taking shape. It is “the microbiome revolution”.

Modern bacteriology inevitably leads us to observe that it is precisely the period of birth that is the phase of modern life that has undergone the most radical changes. We must remember that until recently all human babies were born via the perineal route, which is characterized by its richness in microorganisms. Moreover, they were usually born in the place where the mother’s daily life took place. So the newborn’s body was immediately colonized by microbes familiar to the mother’s immune system. It is important that the baby’s body is first colonized by familiar microbes. Nowadays, however, most babies are not born in an environment familiar to the mother. Moreover, an increasing proportion of the population is not born vaginally and/or is given antibiotics during the period surrounding birth. What a revolution in the history of birth and in the history of the relationship between Homo sapiens and the world of microbes!

The scientization of love forced us to reflect on the now optional release of love hormones during an eminently critical period in the establishment of the bond between mother and baby. The microbiome revolution today prompts us to highlight some questions about a crucial aspect of the microbial deprivation suffered by the modern human being.