What is meconium stained fluid?

If you’re looking for an article that explains what meconium stained fluid is, look no further! Oh wait…you already found it. Well then, let’s get started!

Introduction

There are a lot of strange and wonderful things that happen during pregnancy. From morning sickness to hemorrhoids, the list goes on and on. But one of the more mysterious occurrences is something called meconium stained fluid.

What Is Meconium?

To understand what meconium stained fluid is, we first need to know what meconium itself is. Meconium is your baby’s first poop, which they release while still in the womb. It’s made up of all sorts of fun stuff like amniotic fluid, bile, cells from their intestinal lining, and anything else they might be ingesting at the time.

Why Does Meconium Get Into The Fluid?

Now you may be wondering why this little nugget (pun intended) would end up causing any issues since we’ve been doing it for millennia without issue. Well typically when a baby poops (mecons) in utero it’s usually nothing to worry about because after birth there will already be medical professionals ready with suction tubes or surgical drains that can remove any bits from within the lungs/ mouth/nose – where these marbles tend to want migrate first post graceful exit outta momma…

However, sometimes babies decide they just can’t wait until delivery day to make their grand entrance into the world, so they go ahead and relieve themselves inside mom’s nice warm uterus instead – because as newborns do- “they don’t follow rules”… silly billy 😉

But when this happens, their poop mixes with the amniotic fluid that surrounds them in 70% water ;-( making a dark green/brown cocktail that floats around until the baby is born. This can pose some potential heath risks both before and during labor.. Read on for approximately another 1500 words or so to find out what they are!

How Is Meconium Stained Fluid Diagnosed?

One of the ways meconium stained fluid is diagnosed is through a routine ultrasound(which lets doctors check up on your baby’s health). The color of the amniotic fluid shows up as black, green, or brown when viewed using ultrasound equipment.

Another way it can be determined: If you hear/see soon-to-be-new-mom blabbering about her water having just broken & when asked how long has it been since this happened; she notes that it’s been anywhere from 12-24 hours…erhmehgerd! What ya doing Momma!?

High-Risk Pregnancies

Some pregnancies come with higher risk factors than others – including ones in which prenatal diagnosis suggested BABY might have some sorta ventral abdomen illness(es) . These instances may prompt specialists involve induction due to potential intrauterine stress (stress upon baby inside womb), leading fetal bowel movements such as poop [meconium].

Other times babies who go greatly beyond their estimated time limits for birth will also start showing symptoms like pooping within mommas warm fluids — “Hey Ma, let’s get going here!!!!!”

However, don’t worry too much if you’re diagnosed with meconium stained fluid! There are plenty of steps doctors can take to ensure that everything goes smoothly during delivery.

What Are The Risks Associated With Meconium Stained Fluid?

So why should we care about this little ol’ thing called meconium stained fluid? Well there are actually a few risks associated with it:

Respiratory Issues For Baby

As mentioned earlier, when a baby poops in the womb, that poop gets mixed up with the amniotic fluid they’re surrounded by – which can lead to some respiratory problems.

Meconium Aspiration Syndrome

Babies who inhale meconium stained fluid [MSF] before said fluids can be suctioned or drained at birth might develop something called meconium aspiration syndrome. This is a very serious condition that occurs when newborns aspirate (that’s doc talk for breathing in) small particles of meconium into their lungs and/or ever expanding air pipes

Symptoms Of MAS?

Symptoms of this condition can include things like fast breathing, unstable blood oxygen saturation, poor feeding/lack appetite, [clinically dangerous decrease in body temp and inability thermoregulate,]grunting while exhaling breath/deviation from routine levels of jaundice…etcetera etcetera — AT THIS POINT IN PREGNANCY IT’S A REALLY GOOD IDEA FOR THE PARTNER TO START REVIEWING THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE STATEMENT/WHAT’S DEFINED AS “IN-NETWORK” CARE

So if you think/had an earlier ultrasound confirmation/steady onset of contractions/foreseeable change within your cycle/baby has been constantly hitting you with a capoeira-like strategy moves…and those are now intensifying…heck – it could even be nothing- but still make sure to contact^1/present yourself to medical attention pronto!

Infection & Other Issues

There are also other issues that meconium stained fluid can cause such as infection ,fetal hypoxia,pre-natal asphyxia8 (similar), and potential multi organ dysfunction…

Conclusion

While we may not often consider what our babies do while they’re still inside us beyond tumbling around during kicks and punches in there, it’s still good to be informed and knowledgeable about what could potentially (but likely not) go wrong. Remember – your medical team is there to help you every step of the way!


^1 BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A DRIVE-THRU MACCIE D’S YOU CAN’T JUST EXPECT TO DO THINGS ON YOUR OWN & RELEASE THE CONTENTS OF YOUR WOMB WHENEVER YOU DAMN WELL PLEASE

— POOP
IN LAYMAN TERMS—- COLDNESS PERIOD; IN SEVERAL CASES EARLY ANNOUNCEMENTS OF FETAL DEATH

8 Also known/as intrauterine fetal death — okay more like “downer-death terms” but a real thing people!

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