11/11/2025
A long read... but gives a good flavour of the thinking behind the making of this film.. Showing this Friday evening in Dumfries. Booking link here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-microbirth-plan-tickets-1813785424029
The Microbirth Plan is an inspiring new documentary about one of the most exciting frontiers in human health, the microbiome.
The film reveals how the earliest moments of life lay the foundations for our immunity, metabolism, and even mental wellbeing, and how these microbial beginnings ripple out to affect the health of our entire species.
Through breathtaking science and real human stories, the film shows how small choices and simple actions at birth can have an extraordinary impact, not just for individual families, but for the future of humanity.
This is a story of hope, empowerment, and the possibility of a healthier world, starting with the very first chapter of life.
The Problem:
The film reveals an urgent science-backed problem.
Modern medicalised childbirth practices, in particular high rates of C-sections and antibiotics, are killing a mother's beneficial microbes. Recent research suggests some key species could be disappearing.... for good. These are microbes that have been passed down across generations, from mother to baby, through vaginal birth, skin-to-skin and breastfeeding.
The function of these microbes is to help protect a child's long-term health, reducing the risk of disease.
Without these beneficial microbes present in early life (and there is a narrow "critical window" of opportunity for a child to receive those microbes), a child's immune system might become mal-educated.
This can significantly increasing the risk of that child developing multiple diseases, including:
Asthma, allergies, and atopic disorders including:
Allergic rhinitis
Asthma
Food allergies
Atopic dermatitis (eczema).
Some studies suggest a higher risk of hospitalization for asthma and possibly food allergy/food atopy(e.g. allergic rhinitis, asthma & atopic dermatitis/eczema)
Neurological disorders including :
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Some studies suggest that C-sections may also be associated with lower motor and language development scores in early childhood
Metabolic disorders in adulthood specifically:
Obesity
Type 2 diabetes
Other auto-immune diseases including:
Celiac disease
Inflammatory bowel disease
The Solution?
The good news is that there is a relatively simple fix - to start telling parents.
This film is NOT calling for an end to C-section, or antibiotics, or formula-feeding, and there is no judgement or guilt/shaming or questioning any parent's choice.
And certainly, our desire is not to create any feeling of anxiety or mistrust in someone's midwifery/obstetric care - our goal is to open up avenues of discussion so that all parents feel confident in their informed choices.
But we believe there needs to be a plan to protect a baby's microbiome, especially about what can be done after birth to restore the baby's microbiome if a baby is born by C-section, exposed to antibiotics or formula fed.
This is not just a film, this is a positively-charged, energetic movement, bringing parents together with their care providers, happening in the community all around the world.
Let's get the conversation started.
That is The Microbirth Plan.
The Mission
This is more than a film. It’s a movement to protect the next generation by empowering parents, healthcare professionals, and communities with knowledge that could change the health trajectory of young lives.
With your support, we can screen the film around the world through a global grass-roots network of community screenings.
We would love to see:
More education about the microbiome incorporated into all medical and midwifery training
More support, a gaining of lost skills and more funding for midwives!
A plan to support the microbiome of all babies (The Microbirth Plan) - particularly if they need to be born by C-section
More education about, and support for, prolonged immediate skin-to-skin
More education about, and support for, exclusive breastfeeding, whenever possible.
More support for other microbiome-friendly infant feeding options for when breastfeeding is not possible (e.g. expressed milk, donor milk)
More education about other ways you can live a more "microbiome-friendly" life!
A powerful, inspiring new documentary film which explores the important relationship between microbes, birth events and infant health.
