When babies transition from the womb to the world, they pick up a population of beneficial bacteria, or microbiome, from their mother’s birth canal that would enhance protections from disease. But in the case of C-sections, some moms have been asking for something called “vaginal seeding,” in which the mom's fluids are wiped on the baby after birth, theoretically to lower risk of developing obesity, diabetes, asthma or autoimmune diseases later in life.

Mary Lou Kopas, chief of midwifery at UW Medicine-Northwest Hospital, explains why people have been asking more about this process. See the related blog post for more details.