Postpartum University® Podcast

Microchimerism & Postpartum Health: How Your Baby’s DNA Affects Your Health EP 208

• Maranda Bower, Postpartum Nutrition Specialist

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Did you know that a mother carries her child's cells inside her body for life? Not just emotionally, but physically.  

In this episode, we’re diving deep into microchimerism, the phenomenon where fetal cells remain inside a mother’s body forever. These cells are found in the heart, brain, bones—everywhere. Some research suggests they aid healing, repair tissues, and may even protect against neurodegenerative diseases. But here’s the kicker: in some cases, they might also contribute to autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s and lupus. 

Motherhood literally rewires a woman’s body at a cellular level. Microchimerism isn’t just a scientific curiosity—it’s a critical piece of the postpartum health puzzle. The difference between these cells becoming a healing force or a health risk depends on how well a mother’s body recovers after birth. And that’s exactly why postpartum nutrition and holistic recovery are non-negotiable.

The six-week checkup isn’t enough. If we don’t start prioritizing nutrient repletion, inflammation reduction, and real postpartum support, we are failing women—period. If you’re a postpartum provider, advocate, or anyone working to change the broken system of postpartum care, this episode is a must-listen.


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Key Time Stamps: 

00:00 – Intro: The revolutionary science of microchimerism.
02:37 – Fetal cells stay in a mother's body for life—what does this mean?
05:45 – The autoimmune connection: Can these cells trigger disease?
07:51 – The healing power of microchimerism—how it might protect moms.
09:48 – Postpartum depletion & inflammation: The real problem.
11:55 – Why nutrition is the foundation of maternal health.
14:30 – How postpartum care MUST evolve to address long-term healing.

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Speaker 1:

The postpartum care system is failing, leaving countless mothers struggling with depression, anxiety and autoimmune conditions. I'm Miranda Bauer and I've helped thousands of providers use holistic care practices to heal their clients at the root. Subscribe now and join us in addressing what modern medicine overlooks, so that you can give your clients real, lasting solutions for lifelong well-being. Hey, hey, welcome to the podcast, and I want to ask you a really quick question here. Imagine carrying a piece of someone else inside of you forever, not just a memory, not just emotionally, but physically, because that is exactly what happens in pregnancy. And I'm going to dive deeper into this conversation. I'm so excited to chat about this. But before we get there, I have to tell you the best news ever. I just signed a book deal for real. For real. This is like a revolution in print. I'm going to bring everything I know everything, I teach, everything the traditional medical system ignores, and I'm going to bring it straight into the hands of the providers who want it the most. And we know postpartum care is broken and we know it's time to fix it, and I just wanna give you all such a huge shout out. This would have never have happened without you. It takes some serious courage to stand up to a broken system, to admit that, after years of your training, something is missing. To demand better system. To admit that, after years of your training, something is missing. To demand better care, to question what's been handed down as fact and say actually we need better. And whether you've joined my programs or you've shown up for the last masterclass or shared this work, or just have taken the time to listen into this podcast, you are a part of this movement and this is the thing that is going to change the world, not just this book, not me, but us together. So, from the deepest parts of my heart, thank you. Thank you so much for believing in this work, for pushing for better care and postpartum, for being part of something bigger than all of us, because we are doing this together. We're changing postpartum care and we're just getting started.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so let's talk today about microchimerism. When we give birth, it's not just a baby that we're bringing into the world. Our child cells remain inside of us. It lingers in us for decades, possibly even for life. They're just now learning more about this, so we don't actually know how long these cells are in us. But these fetal microchimeric cells, they have been found in nearly every organ of the female body, including the brain, the heart and even the bones, and this means that, in a very real sense, our children never fully leave us. They live inside us on a cellular level. And as wild as that sounds, the science behind it is even more fascinating, and that's what we're going to dive into here today. But here's the question we need to ask Is microchimerism a gift, a hidden biological advantage of motherhood, or does it come at a cost and contributes to the rising rates of autoimmune disease in postpartum women? So we're going to dive into the research behind microchimerism, what it is, what it does to the maternal body and how it might be both a healing force and a trigger for disease.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so what is microchimerism? It's the presence of foreign DNA or cells in a person's body, specifically the fetal cells that cross the placenta and stay in a mother's tissues, and this was once thought as extremely impossible. Y'all, the placenta was believed to be a complete barrier between mother and baby, and science has finally figured out that this is not the case. A lot of it is not the case. Everything that we've known about the placenta is being flipped upside down, and we have studies that show fetal cells pass into the maternal bloodstream and integrate into her organs, sometimes even becoming functional cells in her tissues. And it's not only just fetal cells that persist in a mother. We know that a mother's own cells can transfer to her baby, making them microchimeric as well. We know that older sibling cells can transfer to younger sibling cells through the mother, meaning if you've had multiple pregnancies, cells from your first child can show up inside of your youngest child, and then maternal grandmothers may even pass cells through the generations. Like I have goosebumps telling you this. This is deep biological connections that are extending far beyond pregnancy. This is an imprint, this is a cellular lineage that continues across generations, and there can be a dark side. So while microtumorism is beautiful in its own right, there is this dark side, one that modern medicine is only beginning to understand. So here's where it gets complex.

Speaker 1:

Foreign cells in the body can trigger an immune response. Some studies suggest that these fetal cells might contribute to autoimmune disease, like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which skyrockets in pregnancy. There are some studies out there that say 50% of women will experience some form of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. That's just absolutely insane. Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis all have been linked together with this, and research believes that this might happen because the immune system sees these fetal cells as other and begins attacking its tissues right, its own tissues. And this could explain why autoimmune diseases and conditions are at a massive rate in postpartum, because that's when the immune system is recalibrating after pregnancy.

Speaker 1:

But here's the thing not all research supports this connection. Some studies suggest that microchimerism isn't the cause of disease, but rather a byproduct of an already dysfunctional immune system. So, in other words, it's not the cells that are the problem, it's not these microchimerism and microchimeristic cells, it's how they're being handled in the body, a body that's depleted, inflamed and struggling to rebalance in postpartumum, a body that is not getting the support that it desperately needs. So what does all of this mean? It means that whether microchimerism heals or harms, it's dependent on the health of the postpartum body itself. Okay, so we're going to flip the script here, because while some researchers link microchimerism to disease, we're finding that these fetal cells actually repair tissue that have been damaged and promote longevity. So microchimeric cells have been found at wound sites, so they're aiding and healing.

Speaker 1:

Some studies suggest that fetal cells migrate to areas of inflammation or injury in the mother's body and assist in tissue repair, which is so important in those first early weeks of postpartum, because we know, at that acute inflammatory stage where we are needing to heal, our body is trying desperately to, which is why that acute inflammatory stage is so critical during that time, because it signals to the body hey, I need to get some healing done, I need to repair, I need to recover. And that's a beautiful thing. And so these cells have been found to come into a body that's healing and say let me support you, let me help you. We also know that they might protect the mother's brain. So some fetal cells have been found in maternal brains and appear to function as like neurons. So that's reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. They also contribute to cardiovascular health. So these fetal cells have been discovered in the hearts of women decades, decades after pregnancy, possibly acting as a protective factor against heart disease than men, why women who have given birth tend to outlive those who haven't.

Speaker 1:

And so we don't know this this is like my own speculation on this, and we need far more research to be for certain. But we do know that microchimerism could be a contributing factor to this. So just think about this for a second. Really, our children's cells may literally be working inside of us, healing our hearts, repairing our tissues, strengthening us for longevity. Isn't that stunning? It's so beautiful. And it brings me to tears.

Speaker 1:

If we look at microchimerism not as a defect, which I will say that 80% of the science out there if you're going to go research microchimerism, I highly suggest you do. It's super fun. If you're into that kind of thing, you're going to find the negatives. I tell you this is just the way it goes. But I want to stress, like how can we make sure that the body is using them for healing instead of harm? Because we know that that can be true. We know that the body can use them for healing rather than harm. So how do we make sure that there is this beautiful thing that's happening inside of us rather than the opposite, which is what so many women experience in postpartum? And the answer is that we have to support the postpartum body right.

Speaker 1:

Nourishment is key. When a mother is depleted postpartum, as most are, her immune system struggles to regulate properly. So if we are giving her nutrient repletion, especially minerals and essential fats and proteins, especially minerals and essential fats and proteins everything I teach you in the certification program and beyond. That is critical to how the body interacts with these fetal cells and we also have to make sure that we're reducing inflammation. Chronic inflammation can turn these helpful microchimeric cells into targets of attack, and we know the postpartum body is in a state of inflammation.

Speaker 1:

Acute inflammation is normal. It's a biological normal that we want so that we can trigger the healing properties of the body. We want our body to heal and that acute inflammation is necessary for that. But when we're not healing and we're not giving our body nutrients and we're struggling for sleep and all of the things and we're not getting the support that we need, that acute inflammation turns into chronic inflammation. Right, a well-supported gut and balanced hormones can keep the immune system in check. And again, that goes back to nutrition can keep the immune system in check. And again, that goes back to nutrition.

Speaker 1:

Postpartum recovery needs to be longer than six weeks. Women need ongoing support, not just a checkup at six weeks and then be sent on their way. We have to shift the narrative. Instead of viewing postpartum bodies as broken, we need to recognize that women are biologically designed for longevity and healing. So again, I can go on and on, and I'm sure all of you listening in can go on and on and on as well, but the idea that motherhood leaves a permanent imprint, not just emotionally but biologically, is profound.

Speaker 1:

So microchimerism, it's not just like this fancy, awesome, fascinating scientific phenomenon. It is a reminder that our children remain a part of us in ways we have never imagined. But it's also a wake-up call. If these cells can act as either a healing force or a trigger for a disease, then we have an obligation as providers to ensure postpartum mothers get the support that they need and make them a gift rather than a burden. So really ask yourself, reflect on this episode and ask how are you supporting women in a way that allows their bodies to thrive? How can we shift postpartum care to acknowledge the deep cellular changes that are happening within a mom after birth, after the years after birth? Right, because the truth is, motherhood changes us down to our very cells, and that change, if supported properly, can be the most protective force of all.

Speaker 1:

So this episode is for providers, researchers, advocates, everyone who wants to change the conversation about postpartum health, and if you're ready to dive deeper into postpartum physiology, immune function or real healing strategies, be sure to join the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Program waitlist. If you are not in the program. If you haven't taken it, you just missed it. We just closed the cohort. It was record breaking, I will tell you. We've never had so many people register as quickly as they did, and we know that the same is going to be true for the next cohort. So make sure that you're on the waitlist, because that waitlist will help you get in faster, because the general public just doesn't have an opportunity to do so. You have to be on the wait list here.

Speaker 1:

Anyway, there's no other place to get the science. No one else is teaching this and I am so excited to dive deeper into these conversations. So let's redefine postpartum at the cellular level. Check the show notes for the link and we'll see you in the next episode. Thanks so much for being a part of this crucial conversation. I know you're dedicated to advancing postpartum care and if you're ready to dig deeper, come join us on our newsletter, where I share exclusive insights, resources and the latest tools to help you make a lasting impact on postpartum health. Sign up at postpartumu the letter ucom which is in the show notes and if you found today's episode valuable, please leave a review to help us reach more providers like you. Together, we're building a future where mothers are fully supported and thriving.

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Maranda Bower

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