Meconium
From ChildWiki.com
Meconium represents the totality of feces from the fetal intestines that are eliminated right after birth. It is a soft substance, smooth, colored in a greenish-brown shade, consisting of mucus, fats and other fetal residue.
The dark, meconium aspect of the amniotic liquid appears in 11-22% of all pregnancies. The Meconium Aspiration Syndrome appears in about 2% of these pregnancies. The elimination of the meconium in the amniotic liquid is usually the result of fetal suffering. If meconium has been eliminated more than 4 hours before birth, the skin of the child will be impregnated. The suffering fetus will present gasping reflex movements and he will aspire the meconium liquid. After his first breath, the newborn will deposit this liquid deep within the respiratory tract and this will determine a mechanical blockage of the small respiratory paths. A baby that is born naturally might eliminate meconium before birth even if there is no fetal suffering involved.
The treatment measures in case of meconium aspiration syndrome are conducted immediately after birth and they might require special cleaning of the nose, throat and mouth of the newborn. In severe cases, additional medical assistance is needed, and even medication to keep undergoing infections under control.
Usually, the most severe cases of meconium aspiration syndrome appear when the baby is a postmature baby, in pregnancies that last longer than the usual 40 weeks. In these cases, meconium might stay in the amniotic liquid for days, and can cause serious lesions to fetal skin, and complications that occur after birth will sometimes lead to death.
