Promotion of Maternal Gut Microbiota and Psychosocial Stimulation on Child Cognitive Development At 6-Months of Age

This is a randomized controlled trial of prenatal and postpartum supplementation with probiotics and long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids together with psychosocial counseling to enhance child cognition at 6-months of age. The supplement consists of 10^9 CFU Bifidobacterium lactis DR 10 and 80mg long chain PUFA to pregnant and lactating mothers to ameliorate gut microbiota and cognitive development of their children. Healthy pregnant women in their second trimester will be randomized into control (200) and treatment (200) groups, and both will receive psychosocial counseling for child care and emotional wellness. The supplement will be given daily for 6 months prenatally and 6 months postpartum, and the outcome of cognitive ability at 6-months of age will be assessed through visual and auditory function, and fetal brain MRI. This is a novel approach to potentiate fetal and newborn neurodevelopmental via the maternal gut-fetal brain axis.