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Articles on Child birth

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Birth centres are a good option for women with low-risk pregnancies, but availability is limited. Lolostock/Shutterstock

Having a baby at a birth centre is as safe as hospital but results in less intervention

Compared to women who give birth in a birth centre, those who give birth in hospitals are much more likely to have interventions – from epidurals, to labour augmentation and caesarean deliveries.
By the time they turn one, half of Australian babies have had a course of antibiotics. Shutterstock

Antibiotics before birth and in early life can affect long-term health

There may be additional long-term health harms from antibiotic exposure in early life and before birth, including an increased risk of infection, obesity and asthma.
The mode of delivery has a big impact on an infant’s microbiota, the bacteria that live in the gut. Martin Valigursky/Shutterstock

Gut instinct: how the way you’re born and fed affect your immune system

The particular makeup of a newborn’s gut microbes is important as it has been shown to affect their risk of developing certain diseases later in childhood and adulthood.

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