The key to health could start at birth
JAMES COLQUHOUN
Our July film club documentary Microbirth takes things back to where we all began. Growing inside the womb of our mother, and our birth. The film investigates the latest scientific research beginning to link the way babies are birthed, with their long-term health later in life. It uncovers an incredibly fascinating connection between our gut bacteria, what we are exposed to as an infant, and the development or downfalls of our immune system.
Laurentine and I were so lucky to be surrounded by incredible professionals throughout our pregnancy and the birth of Hugo. Whilst it’s not always possible, we were blessed to have a home birth and have plenty of time to hold Hugo skin on skin, connecting the parental bond, but also building his immunity from his very first breath on this earth. Read more about our birthing story here.
The parent-child bond is so amazing, yet most of us don’t even realise what’s going on at a microscopic level! Microbirth takes this view and looks at the birthing experience in a whole new way! The purpose of the film is to raise public awareness about developing the baby’s microbiome at birth, using the mother’s own bacteria to help train the immune system to recognise ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ bacteria and bugs. It offers exceptional insight into the importance of developing a strong immune system right from birth, as a powerful way to reduce the risk of so many chronic diseases and immune-related conditions that are plaguing us including: asthma, Type 1 Diabetes, Coeliac Disease, obesity, cardiovascular disease and even some cancers.
It's fascinating how a parent's natural instinct to want to hold their child immediately after birth could actually be one of the strongest ways to make a massive difference to the baby’s health, for the rest of its life.
A must watch for all parents, parents-to-be, and those simply interested in the amazing powers of our immune system!
Watch on FMTV today!
James Colquhoun is the filmmaker behind Food Matters, Hungry For Change, and Transcendence Seasons 1 & 2 and founder of Food Matters and FMTV. Along with Laurentine ten Bosch, James founded the Food Matters community following the release of the 2008 documentary, giving people the tools (films, books, articles, and guided programs) to take charge of their own health. From here, FMTV was born! It was designed as a place where you can access vital information by watching all of your favorite inspiring documentaries, expert interviews, & recipe videos in one place, and in early 2020 FMTV found it's new home on Gaia.