Please help! Newborn swallowed poop during birth.?

Question

Does any one know of this or had it happen. They say he has a 50/50 chance of survival. I am worried. I HAVE serached the net. Won't get to the hospital til after work. My little cousin's baby swallowed hgis stool during birth now I am worried he might pass away cause of this. Please help someone with info. Thanks!

THANKS SO FAR. Also, to the tards writing about why i'm asking online 1 I am at work and why I am here is none of your business I need answers that have some common sense in it.

2 The net is an awesome source whether you think so or not. So please keep leaving your ignorant comments I enjoy a good laugh as well as the next person.

BTW THANKS FOR THE GOOD FEEDBACK!

my cousin is under heavy sedation. I know people cant tell me if he is going to live or die. I never aksed that. I want resources come on people please read before you leave comments. I swear.

Answer 1

He didn't swallow his poop he breathed it into his lungs. It is called Meconium aspiration. It is is caused if a infant is stressed during labor or birth and releases a stool. It enters the lungs when it mixes with the amniotic fluid. If it is "thick mec" it means that the stool was thick and gelationous. It coats the inside of the lungs and they don't exchange oxygen well. It is treated with oxygen, sedation and a very special ventilator. Nothing can dissolve the meconium, it just takes time to absorb so the lungs can work. The problem is the lack of oxygen and the high pressure needed to push the oxygen into the lungs. This can cause damage as well. The first 24 hours is usually the worst. But sometimes the second days is just as bad. By the 3 or 4th he should be getting better.
I won't kid you, this can cause death. If they can't get enough oxygen to the brain, and if he survives, he can be damaged. He runs a risks of mental retardation and cerebral palsy.
The best thing to do is be supportive of your cousin. The doctors will do their best. Have your cousin talk to the bedside nurse and/or resp therapist. Ask questions, there is NO dumb questions. Have her be as involved as she can. Have her talk to him, sing songs softly. Have her sleep with a small soft cloth, then leave it in his crib so he can smell her. If the staff tell her she can't touch him, that is for his protection. He is very very fragile, a simple touch, a loud sound or bright light can cause him to get worse. And if you believe in prayer, pray. You will be in mine.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

How serious are the consequences if meconium shows up in the amniotic fluid during labor? Is this necessarily a emergency?

When the meconium shows up in the amniotic fluid during labor, it means that the baby is releasing a hormone of the adrenaline family called noradrenaline. This hormone is released when the baby must adapt to a low supply in oxygen. The effect of a release of noradrenaline is to provide enough blood to vital organs having priority (such as brain, heart, and kidneys) by reducing the amount of blood going to organs that are not yet vital such as the bowels. That is how the green-brown tary sterile substance that fills the bowels is eliminated into the amniotic fluid.

In other words, meconium staining during labor does not mean fetal distress and is not necessarily an emergency. It means that a physiological system of protection of the fetus is at work. That is why it is always a particular case that should be interpreted according to the phase of labor, the progress of labor, the duration of pregnancy, the number of babies the mother had previously, the place of birth, etc. Let us mention that a tainted liquid during labor is almost the rule in the case of a breech presentation and is not usually related to the release of noradrenaline.

Amniotic fluid inhalation occurs in 2% to 5% of babies with tainted liquid. Among them, some will develop a meconium aspiration pneumonia and will go on mechanic ventilators. Very few of them will have residual health problems. The practice of suctioning the mouth and throat of the baby just before the delivery of the shoulders is now considered useless. The routine intubation and suction of the trachea just after birth in the case of meconium staining is also considered useless according to recent studies. It does not improve the outcome.

That other (dr greene) info you got above is not very accurate. The seriousness of the meconium exposure would be indicated if the infant is on a respirator or not. Can you find out by calling the hospital from work to talk to a family member? I am sorry you are not getting the info you need, It is a common thing now because dr look for this, used to be they didn't test so you did not hear about it so much. In the industrialized world, meconium in the amniotic fluid can be detected in 8-25% of all births after 34 weeks' gestation. Of those newborns with meconium-stained amniotic fluid, approximately 10% develop MAS. From what I can remember the issues are 1 if the mom did drugs like cocaine the bm would have that in it etc.. and 2 if the infant developed respiratory distress from the exposure. Maybe you can google MAS to get some stats. Meconium Aspiration Syndrome ((hug))

Answer 4

I just found a response from a Dr to a question like yours and here is the part where he talks about it and the link to the site will follow... Apparently swallowing is not really a problem its when the breathe it in that it becomes a problem....

If a baby passes a meconium stool before birth, the amniotic fluid is stained and the baby is covered with meconium (reminiscent of the mess dads can make changing diapers). The baby is also likely to swallow the meconium, which sounds disgusting but doesn't present a problem. The sterile meconium does not predispose to urinary tract infections, but meconium can cause significant problems if it is inhaled into the lungs.

In only about 2% to 5% of babies born in meconium-stained amniotic fluid will some of the thick, tarry meconium be inhaled, plug the small airways, and thus cause respiratory distress (Manual of Pediatric Practice, WB Saunders, 1998 and Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, WB Saunders, 2000). Speedy delivery of distressed babies and suctioning the mouth and nose when the head has been delivered (before the expanding lungs take their first breath) can help prevent this meconium aspiration. Sometimes, more vigorous suctioning or even infusing extra amniotic fluid into the uterus before birth is needed.

Up to 30% of kids who develop meconium aspiration pneumonias need to go on mechanical ventilators. A few of these have some residual lung problems (wheezing, coughing) even 5 or 10 years later, and a small number die from meconium aspiration (Textbook of Pediatrics, WB Saunders, 2000).

http://www.drgreene.com/21_31.html

Answer 5

actually, swallowing poop, or "meconium" during birth is quite common. If the child swallows alot, the most common procedure is the doctor will put a small tube in the throat of the child to try and "suck" it out. He/she will be monitored, but in most cases, the child will be okay. I swallowed mine when I was born, and I'm 22 and alive and kicking. My 1 year old daughter also swallowed some during birth, as so did my 3 year old brother- and they too are fine. Just keep your head up, and pray for the little one. I hope this information helps, and I hope the little one turns out okay.

Answer 6

Well, first off, he did not just swallow it he aspirated it. Swallowing would be into the stomach, aspiration is into the airways to the lungs. Meconium is sterile fecal matter. The fact that he expelled it into the amniotic fluid could be an indicator of a stressful birth situation or some intrinsic problem with the in utero development.

In and of itself, meconium aspiration, if not too severe, is easily treatable and has been treated successfully for decades. The danger is when there is a lot of meconium in their airways, as it is very thick and tenacious and interferes with the normal respiratory mechanisms to keep the airways clear. Undoubtedly, they will put him on antibiotics and watch, repeatedly xray him until it clears.

The 50/50 chance bothers me, and indicates to me that there is more to the story though.

Answer 7

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Please help! Newborn swallowed poop during birth.?
Does any one know of this or had it happen. They say he has a 50/50 chance of survival. I am worried. I HAVE serached the net. Won't get to the hospital til after work. My little cousin's baby swallowed hgis stool during birth now I am worried he might pass away cause of this. Please help...

Answer 8

Meconium Stool

Answer 9

Sorry about your baby....if he's strong he'll make it...the problem is he took a breath before he came into the world...this happened to me also....my son wound up with infection, and after alot of antibiotics, he was fine....it never affected him in any way...he's 36 today, and strong like bull....the nurses and doctors know what to do....all there is to do is wait and see unfortunately.
Good luck to you and God Bless you child.....God will watch over
him at this terrible time

Answer 10

Surely the doctor will have already answered this question for your cousin, why don't you just ask her? Generally people on Yahoo Answers can not tell you if someone is going to live or die! You cannot be sure of anyone's source or if they even know what they are talking about when it comes to serious health issues.