Meconium
Information:
Definition:
The infant's first stools, it is composed of amniotic fluid, mucous, lanugo (the fine hair that covers the baby's body), bile, and cells that have been shed from the skin and the intestinal tract. Meconium is thick, greenish black, and sticky.
During pregnancy the baby floats in amniotic fluid inside the mother's uterus. This fluid protects the baby while he grows and develops. The baby swallows the amniotic fluid which contains all the other constituents mentioned above. All the contents other than the amniotic fluid itself are filtered out by the existing meconium, thus sterilizing the amniotic fluid which the baby then urinates out. This process of circulation of the amniotic fluid occurs about every 3 hours.
In some cases, the meconium is passed by the baby while still inside the uterus. This happens when the baby is under stress, which is usually caused by a period of decreased oxygen supply to the baby. Once the meconium is passed into the amniotic fluid,
it is possible for the baby to breathe the meconium into his lungs. This condition is called meconium aspiration and can cause inflammation in the baby's lungs after he is born.
This inflammation can cause the baby to go into respiratory distress. If meconium is detected in the amniotic fluid when the mother's water breaks, special precautions are taken to clear the fluid from the baby's stomach and lungs. See Meconium aspiration.
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