What Is Meconium Aspiration Syndrome?
Meconium aspiration syndrome occurs when meconium, which is essentially the baby’s stool, is found in the baby’s lungs [1]. In certain cases, however, the baby will pass the meconium right before delivery and it will be found in the amniotic fluid. Doctors will be able to determine if a meconium has passed due to the fluid being either dark green, brown, or yellow. Meconium found right after the water is broken can raise serious concerns regarding the baby experiencing distress.
A baby ingesting the meconium can lead to a serious injury in the child due to its ability to obstruct the baby’s airways which can lead to serious infection. Pneumonia can also be the result of meconium aspiration syndrome, which creates an emergency in the delivery room. When this happens, doctors must immediately treat the baby to clear the airways (ventilation treatment is given as needed) because if the baby is unable to receive an adequate amount of oxygen, a brain injury can occur, which can lead to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Additionally, depending on the location of the brain injury, cerebral palsy could be a future diagnosis of a child who has been diagnosed with HIE.
[1] Id
Quick Links
HIE
Cerebral Palsy
Meconium
FAQs
Resources
Glossary
Contact
Latest Articles
Will Every Baby’s HIE Injury Look The Same?
https://youtu.be/geQTeAu2FxQ Will every baby’s HIE injury look the same? To put the question another way, will an HIE injury manifest itself the exact same way with every baby. This educational article, and supporting video, will touch on not only the physical...
Brain Imaging Patterns And A Baby’s HIE Injury
https://youtu.be/93mNyY3bBi0 When a family calls us regarding a birth injury investigation, brain imaging patterns, and a baby’s HIE injury are not questions that families are generally well versed on. This is because an HIE injury is not something that is...
What If A Baby Suffers Seizures Following Birth?
What if a baby suffers seizures following birth? Seizure activity can occur immediately following birth or they can manifest a few hours afterwards. Regardless, seizures are serious and should be treated accordingly. For many of the families who contact us...
How Can We Prevent HIE At Birth?
The question of how can we prevent HIE at birth is one that families voice concern over when they contact us after their baby has been diagnosed with an HIE injury. For many families, HIE is something that is not really talked about beforehand because of the...
Follow Us
Join Our Newsletter