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Meconium Aspiration Syndrome |
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Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
 Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Signs and Symptoms Passage of meconium before a baby is born can be triggered by different stresses to the fetus. Usually this stress results from normal labor contractions, but sometimes it is due to causes like infection, poor blood or low oxygen flow to the fetus. In fact, meconium can be seen in the amniotic fluid of about 12 percent of all deliveries.
Risk factors for meconium aspiration include:
- Post-term pregnancy
- Preeclampsia
- Maternal diabetes
- Maternal hypertension
- Difficult delivery
- Fetal distress
- Intra-uterine hypoxia, a condition in which a fetus receives a decreased amount of oxygen while still in the uterus
When meconium gets into a mother's amniotic fluid, it is called meconium staining. In these instances, the amniotic fluid may have a greenish color or streaks of green. Although each baby may experience symptoms of meconium aspiration differently. Exposure to meconium in the amniotic fluid for a long time may cause yellowed skin and nails. The following are the most common symptoms of meconium aspiration:
- Rapid or labored breathing
- Retractions, pulling in of the chest wall
- Grunting sounds with breathing
- Bluish skin color, called cyanosis
- Low Apgar score -- the Apgar test is given to infants just after birth to quickly evaluate their color, heartbeat, reflexes, muscle tone and respiration
- The body appearing limp
Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007
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