Fetal meconium: What you may not know

This is an automatically translated article.

Meconium is the black mucus a baby passes out during the first few days of life. Although they grow up with their children every day, many mothers may not know when the fetal meconium was formed and how the meconium works?

1. What is the effect of meconium?

Many mothers think that when the baby is born, it is possible to pass meconium, but in fact, the fetus's meconium has been formed since it was still in the womb, the time when the fetus entered the second week of pregnancy. 14 and has begun to swallow amniotic fluid in the mother's womb, the amniotic fluid will enter the small intestine of the fetus and the waste products will stay in the large intestine, accumulating for a long time and forming a sticky mucus called meconium.
After birth, the baby will have a bowel movement to bring out the meconium, after about 5 days, the baby's stool will be normal yellow, this is a very normal physiological phenomenon. However, if within the first day, the child does not pass meconium, it is an abnormal sign that should be reported to the doctor for timely examination, to prevent the child from having cystic fibrosis, thyroid disease, etc. Intestinal obstruction.... The effect of meconium helps mothers better monitor the health of their babies when they are born.

2. The process of forming meconium of the fetus

The fetus can urinate right from the mother's womb when it is only 8 weeks old, at this time, along with the act of swallowing amniotic fluid, the fetus will excrete its own source of amniotic fluid. This process will take place until birth, however, mothers should not be too worried, because urine is not like meconium, it is completely sterile, so it will not affect the development process. of the fetus.
Regarding fetal meconium, they will be gradually accumulated from the 24th week of pregnancy, when the process of swallowing amniotic fluid has become mature and the degeneration of cells and activities Although it accumulates in the abdomen, the color of the meconium is only apparent when the baby first passes stools at birth, which can be dark black or dark green.
Theoretically, the fetus will not pass stool while in the womb, however, about 12% of fetuses will not be able to keep meconium in the intestine until the day of birth, but will pass meconium into amniotic fluid, The color of the meconium will make the amniotic fluid yellow or green. The case of the fetus passing meconium in the womb occurs when the baby is past the due date and the digestive system has matured, although it does not pose a danger to the health of the child, but if it is not yet the due date, the fetus has dug Meconium excretion in the womb is most likely related to problems such as pinched umbilical cord, difficult labor, lack of oxygen, infection...

3. Meconium aspiration syndrome in the fetus

When learning about the fetal meconium, in addition to knowledge such as the color of the meconium, the formation time and how the meconium works, there is one problem that mothers also need to pay attention to, which is aspiration syndrome. meconium amniotic fluid.
During the time in the womb, the lungs of the fetus will always have a lot of amniotic fluid, so if the baby's lungs have meconium, it will pass through the windpipe. When the baby enters the labor stage, if the baby is deprived of oxygen for a long time, it will be difficult to breathe and inhale meconium, blocking the airway and causing airway obstruction. In this case, the child is prone to disturbances of gas exchange in the lungs and respiratory failure. In particular, the chemical irritation of meconium can cause infections, pneumonia and surfactant inactivation.
Newborns with amniotic fluid aspiration syndrome meconium will have symptoms such as:
Intermittent breathing Pale purple skin Abnormally inflated chest Low apgar index Baby rapid breathing, rapid breathing Difficult breathing, whining Best way to prevent Prevention of this syndrome is to prevent the fetus from passing meconium while in the womb. Monitor your pregnancy closely from week 37 onwards until your due date, if you see green or yellow amniotic fluid, you need to talk to your doctor right away.

4. Meconium in babies will be like?

The process of accumulation of meconium in the intestine will be excreted outside in the first few days of birth, the color of the meconium at this time can be black or green, sticky texture. The appearance of meconium also means that the baby's intestines are working normally.
In fact, there is no definite rule for the passage of meconium in babies, it can only be based on whether the baby is breastfed or formula fed. In case the baby is exclusively breastfed, he or she can have bowel movements 4 times a day. It is not unusual for bowel movements to be prolonged, as long as the color of the meconium is normal, the stools are soft, and the baby is gaining weight steadily.
In case the infant has difficulty in defecation, do not be too worried because, maybe because the baby is drinking inappropriate formula, take the baby to the hospital for a more thorough examination.

5. What does the change of meconium in the baby say?

Right after birth, the baby will be breastfed, not only helping the infant overcome hunger, but colostrum also acts as a laxative to help push the meconium out of the digestive system. The meconium will change after about 3 days and will be characterized as going from green to bright yellow, brighter, loose or lumpy, slightly rough. In addition, a child's bowel habits will also change if solid foods are given or when he is unwell or eats less.
The color of the meconium when formula-fed babies will be different when they are breastfed, the texture of the stools will be larger, light yellow or yellow-brown, with a strong smell.
In addition, based on the infant's stool, parents can see abnormalities in the child's health by:
When the child has diarrhea, the child's stool will be very loose, the frequency of bowel movements is normal. More often, there are cases of blood in the stool.
When children are constipated Children who are constipated when having a bowel movement will have a red face, try to push hard and strain, the stool will be dry, hard, lumpy, the child's abdomen is always tight and sometimes cracks appear in the stomach. anus, blood in the stool.
Green stools If your baby's poop is green at the end of the meconium phase, it could be a sign that your baby is absorbing too much lactose. This happens when a baby is breastfed often but gets a lot of foremilk and doesn't get the last milk.
Very light colored stools When your baby passes light colored stools, it could be a sign of jaundice, which is very common in babies. This condition should go away after a few weeks after the baby is born, but if the situation does not improve after this time, you should take the baby to the hospital to be checked.
See blood in the stool There are many causes for the child to have blood in the stool, but it is still mainly because the child is constipated, causing the tiny blood vessels in the anal mouth to crack when the child tries to push the stool out. On the other hand, blood in the stool can also be caused by an irritable bowel infection or an allergy. In this case, the child should be taken to a specialist for a thorough examination and proper treatment.

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