Doctors Test Bacterial Smear After Cesarean Sections To Bolster Babies’ Microbiomes

Evelyn Marie Vukadinovich is swabbed with a gauze pad immediately after being born by cesarean section at Inova Women’s Hospital in Falls Church, Va.

Danielle Vukadinovich is sitting up in a hospital bed at the Inova Women’s Hospital in Falls Church, Va., waiting to give birth.

“I feel good, I’m excited!” says Vukadinovich, 35, of Annandale, Va., “Nervous, but good!”

Vukadinovich is getting a cesarean section today. It’s the second time for her — she underwent the surgical procedure 19 months ago when her twins were born.