QuestionHi Anne,
Before I ask any questions, perhaps if I give you a history of my childbirth experience, you might be able to answer some questions. Before the birth of my child, my water broke. Upon arrival to the hospital, I was hooked up to an IV drip and a fetal heart monitor. A nurse told me that there was a bit of a green tinge to the water, which suggested meconium, but did not look overly concerned. About 18 hours later, my contractions still had not began, so the doctor put me on Pitocin. After 24 hours, I was also put on an antibiotic, since my water had broke, and I still had not given birth. Several times, there were heart decelerations, but with oxygen and laying on my left side, they resumed back to normal. Upon birth, the cord was wrapped around my baby's neck, but the doctor released it, and it didn't seem that it was too tight. I was on my back for much of the labor, and did not move around that much. Does this sound like a typical, or at least not so abnormal labor to you? Have you ever heard about green-tinged meconium? From what I have read online, don't doctors usually deliver right away if they see some meconium? My labor experience took about 26 hours. Also, I have read that if babies swallow meconium, there is a risk of MAS. How can one tell if a baby has swallowed meconium, and if it has entered the lungs or not? Upon the birth of my child, there was the routine suctioning done, but I don't recall the doctors doing any special suctioning. Can this suggest that they did not suspect swallowing of meconium? Thanks again and awaiting your reply.
AnswerHi Allegra,
What you've described as far as the length of your labor sounds very normal to me. In fact, with my 4th child I had a very similar circumstance to yours. My water broke but I had no contractions. They put me on an antibiotic. It took almost 48 hours after my water breaking for my baby to actually be born.
As for the meconium, yes it's very common for it to be greenish or blackish in color. Perhaps because there was only a slight green tinge to your waters, your doctor was not very concerned about MAS. Statistically, while anywhere from 5%-20% of newborns pass meconium in utero, only 5%-10% of those cases result in actual MAS, and most MAS cases are not serious.
If your baby had developed MAS, there would have been respiratory symptoms present to tip your doctor off. It's a well-known concern that doctors and midwives know to look for, and how to treat. When a newborn is affected, they will show respiratory distress, or sometimes cyanosis.
A doctors can also make the diagnosis by examining your amniotic fluid at the time of delivery. This was probably done without your knowing it, just as most mothers aren't aware that the doctor or midwife studies/observes the placenta after birth and makes appropriate medical notations.
Hope this is helpful to you,
Ann S
