Meconium is the first bowel movements from newborns. It will pass at some point after babies are born. For the record, meconium includes mucus, bile, cells, amniotic fluid and lanugo that are stored in the baby's intestines while in the womb. And here are some additional things you should know about meconium.
1. It has a green-black appearance. Baby's first poop is basically a sticky, tar-like substance that has a greenish black appearance and it will generally come out in large amount. Normally, babies may have several poops before the color changes to yellow.
2. It doesn't have an unpleasant smell. Meconium is normally scentless, unlike baby's later bowel movements.
3. It sticks to baby's skin. While it has no odor, meconium, however, can stick to your baby's skin. And it is difficult to remove from their bottoms. The trick for an easy clean-up is petroleum jelly. Just apply a coat of it to your baby's clean, dry skin to make the cleaning easier at the next diaper change.
4. It is sterile. Baby's first stool is believed to be sterile because their intestine has yet to be colonized by microorganisms. And the bacterial colonization begins with the first feeding.
5. It can be passed to utero. Babies can pass meconium before birth if their digestive systems have matured in the womb. Another reason is a sudden and short compression of the cord or the head.
6. There's a risk for the baby once inhaled. When meconium is passed in the womb, there's a higher chance that your baby will inhale it, which can potentially block the baby's airways. Thereby, making it hard for the baby to breathe, such occurrence is called Meconium Aspiration Syndrome (MAS).
While passing meconium in utero is almost impossible to prevent, it is comforting to know that doctors and midwives know how to handle such case.
