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Exclusive Offer: 30% Off 1st Order* with code SAVE30
Exclusive Offer: 30% Off 1st Order* with code SAVE30
Exclusive Offer: 30% Off 1st Order* with code SAVE30
Hey Gillian 👋
How Can I Support My Baby’s Gut After a C-Section? Here’s What the Science Says
A 6 month study of microbiome supported babies vs standard care babies revealed that early gut health isn't fixed - it's something we can actively support.
What the Study Found
More Beneficial Bifidobacterium
Babies in the intervention group had higher levels of Bifidobacterium. n other words, they help build the foundation of a healthy microbiome.
Improved HMO metabolism
the microbiome wasn’t just changing in composition, it was becoming more functional
Closer Resemblance to “Vaginal Birth”
By the end of the study, babies in the intervention group shifted toward a microbiome more similar to vaginally born infants
Lower Rates of Skin Irritations
Perhaps most meaningful for parents: Babies in the intervention group had significantly lower rates of skin irritations.
This study reinforces something important: Early gut health isn’t fixed — it’s something we can actively support.
Every baby's microbiome journey looks a little different, and that's okay. Whether your little one was born via C-section, needed antibiotics early on, is formula-fed, or is still building exposure to the wider world, there are meaningful ways to nurture their gut health along the way.
What This Means for Parents
This study reinforces something important: Early gut health isn’t fixed — it’s something we can actively support.
Every baby's microbiome journey looks a little different, and that's okay.
Whether your little one was born via C-section, needed antibiotics early or is still building exposure to the wider world, there are meaningful ways to nurture their gut health along the way.
Where Persephone Fits In
At Persephone, this is exactly what we’re built around. We focus on restoring what modern life has disrupted.
Pediatrician Recommended
I recommend infant-specific probiotics like Persephone’s synbiotic, which is designed to restore what nature intended every baby to have in those critical first months of life. 
Dr. Tanya Altman, MD
Real people. Real science. Here for you.
If you're not satisfied within 90 days, we'll make it right. No complicated process. No runaround.
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This isn’t just my company, it’s my calling.
I'm Stephanie, a mom, scientist and founder. Have questions about our product or your babies microbiome? We've got you.
4
Keystone Strains
of infant/toddler specific probiotics
HMO
prebiotic blend
to promote bacterial longevity in the gut
100%
daily recommended value of Vitamin D for infants
FAQs
Yes. Both Bloom and Thrive are designed specifically for infants and toddlers, third-party tested at Eurofins for heavy metals, allergens, and contaminants, and certified by the Clean Label Project's First 1,000 Days Promise.
Babies born by cesarean section, or C-section, typically have a different early exposure. Instead of vaginal microbes, they are more likely to encounter bacteria from the skin, the hospital environment, and the operating room.
Most probiotics use generic strains isolated decades ago that have no ability to consume breast milk sugars. Persephone uses four proprietary strains from today's healthiest babies, precision-paired with the HMOs they've evolved to eat. It's a different category of product — not a better version of the same thing.
Citations
- Shao, Y. et al. Stunted microbiota and opportunistic pathogen colonization in caesarean-section birth. Nature 574, 117–121 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1560-1.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Births and Natality. (2023). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/delivery.htm.
- Hurkala, J. et al. Effect of a Short-Time Probiotic Supplementation on the Abundance of the Main Constituents of the Gut Microbiota of Term Newborns Delivered by Cesarean Section. Nutrients 12, 3128 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12103128.
- Jarman, J.B. et al. Bifidobacterium deficit in United States infants drives prevalent gut dysbiosis. Commun Biol 8, 867 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08274-7.