And, meconium… what if theres meconium in the amniotic fluid?
Meconium, the baby’s first bowel movement, can sometimes be excreted because of a baby’s being somewhat post-dates or some stress in the uterus (we really never know why, however). We were all trained to suction the baby’s mouth and nose as the head was born, before the shoulders, but newer research shows what many have known instinctively… not to suction babies at all, but to wipe the mouth and nose so the baby doesn’t inhale the meconium. Your midwife might do one or the other, depending on the severity of the meconium.
