Key highlights:
Maternal microbiota influences pregnancy outcomes and shapes neonatal immune and metabolic development.
Maternal health, delivery mode, feeding practices, antibiotic and environmental exposure are key modulators of infant microbiome development.
Prebiotics, probiotics, and a high-fibre maternal diet promote Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus growth, important species for a healthy microbiome.
Early-life microbiome modulation is a promising strategy for improving health trajectories across the lifespan.
Growing recognition of the importance of the microbiome has reshaped our understanding of the connected nature of maternal and infant health.1 The microbiome, made up of approximately 39 trillion microbial cells, plays a pivotal role in human health, influencing multiple systems and shaping long-term disease risk.2
For infants, microbial colonisation begins before birth and develops rapidly over the first 1,000 days of life3 – a window critical for programming lifelong health outcomes.3 Maternal health, pregnancy exposures, birth practices, and early nutrition are formative in microbial development, influencing susceptibility to allergies, obesity, autoimmune conditions, and neurodevelopmental disorders.3
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