What is Meconium?

Meconium is the earliest stool of a baby. Meconium is dark green fecal material that is produced in the intestines of a fetus before birth. After delivery, your newborn baby will pass meconium stools for the first few days of life. 

 

Stress your baby experiences before or during birth may cause your baby to pass meconium stool while still in the uterus. The meconium stool then mixes with the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus.

 

The severity of MAS depends on the amount of meconium the baby inhales as well as underlying conditions, such as infections within the uterus or postmaturity. Generally, the more meconium a baby inhales, the more serious the condition.