The One Thing You Can Do To Protect Your Baby From Meconium Aspiration Syndrome

There are so many things in childbirth that are beyond our control, and unfortunately one of them is meconium aspiration syndrome—when baby’s first bowel movement is released before birth, into the amniotic fluid, and is then breathed into baby’s lungs. Once the meconium is in baby’s lungs, it can cause severe illness, lead to brain damage, or even cause loss of life. Babies born with meconium aspiration syndrome will often be bluish in skin tone, have trouble breathing, and be a bit limp overall. What people don’t know is just how common this is: Between five and ten percent of babies born suffer from meconium aspiration, and tends to be more common in infants born after their due date. The danger is very real, and the agony that parents go through when they realize that their child is suffering from this horrible complication is palpable.

But what can new moms do to prevent early meconium discharge and meconium aspiration syndrome from happening to their offspring? Naturally, if your water breaks before you get to the hospital, you should pay attention to see if it is clear, or if it’s tinted greenish or brownish at all. If it isn’t clear, call your doctor immediately, as your baby may have already aspirated his own meconium, requiring you to rush to the hospital. But besides that, the only thing you can do to make your child’s chances better is quite simple: Give birth in a hospital or at a birthing center connected to a hospital. I know there can be an allure for some women to give birth at home, but it’s in your child’s best interest to be in a medical facility where fetal monitoring can happen throughout labor to watch for signs of potential problems; and where complications such as this one can be immediately and appropriately treated with suctioning, antibiotics, and a breathing machine. In fact, it could save your baby’s life.

I don’t tell you any of this to frighten you (heaven knows there’s enough to be concerned about when you’re about to give birth), but because I want you to be informed with the facts so that you can feel confident in the choices surrounding your pregnancy and delivery. Here’s hoping for a day when risks like these are a thing of the past, but until then, we need to share all the knowledge we can.