INTERVENTION:
Supplement with probiotics during pregnancy and supplement infant with probiotics until 6 months of age
INTERVENTION GOAL:
To decrease risk of allergic disease in fetus/baby, specifically eczema/atopic dermatitis and possibly food allergies, environemental allergic disease and asthma.
EVIDENCE SUPPORTING INTERVENTION:
A report looking at all published studies on probiotics in infants until 2013 found that protocols supplementing both prenatally and postnatally had the best success in prevention of eczema but that the effect was best demonstrated in high risk children and with the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus.
An older study published in 2008 found similar results stating that probiotics showed more benefit in prevention of eczema/atopic dermatitis compared to active treatment of eczema.
There have been over 20 studies published on this topic, the most successful combined both prenatal and postnatal treatment with primarily Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG species.
POTENTIAL RISK:
None
INTERVENTION SPECIFICS:
At 36 weeks gestation or sooner, we will start maternal daily probiotic which contains a minimum of 5 million units of the specific strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus (also commonly listed at Lactobacillus GG).
If breastfeeding, maternal daily probiotic will continue for the first 6 months. When the baby is 6 months of age, we will start a daily probiotic for the baby until 24 months.
If not breastfeeding, the infant will immediately begin an infant safe probiotic which will be continued until at least 24 months.