Natural Pregnancy by Lauren Feder

Author:Lauren Feder [Feder, Lauren MD]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-57826-500-8
Publisher: Hatherleigh Press
Published: 2014-06-23T16:00:00+00:00

Meconium Aspiration

Meconium lines baby’s intestine during pregnancy, and is the dark, tarry, sticky stool passed initially by the newborn in the first few days of life. After a few days of breastfeeding, baby’s stool turns into the characteristic mustard seed consistency. If a baby is in distress before birth, she may have a meconium bowel movement while still inside the womb. Complications, such as lung problems, could arise if baby breathes it in the lungs right at birth. Factors that increase stress on the baby include maternal conditions such as hypertension or diabetes, difficult delivery, aged placenta, and post-term babies. If baby is responsive and active with normal Apgar scores, no treatment may be necessary. Otherwise, symptomatic babies are evaluated and treated depending upon severity, usually with excellent prognosis. Finding the greenish-brown meconium stain in amniotic fluids (or when water breaks) does not necessarily mean that baby is in distress, as it is common to have a light meconium stain when going past due date. Most cases of aspiration occur with the thicker meconium. According to Ina May Gaskin, medical inductions during labor increase passage of meconium, most likely because the baby is more stressed than it would be if labor were left to begin on its own.

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