P24.0: Neonatal aspiration of meconium

The child's stool has got into its airways or lungs.

You need lungs to breath. When you breathe in, the air with the oxygen passes through the airways to the lungs. The respiratory tract ends in the air sacs in the lungs. Oxygen passes into the blood in the pulmonary alveoli (air sacs). The pulmonary alveoli and the airways are surrounded by supportive tissue. This supportive tissue consists of connective tissue.

In the pulmonary alveoli there is a substance called surfactant. Surfactant enables the pulmonary alveoli to expand when inhaling. Surfactant also prevents the pulmonary alveoli from collapsing when exhaling. Normally the child’s pulmonary alveoli open out immediately after birth when the first breath is taken and they fill with air.

A newborn baby's first stool is also known as the meconium. If this stool increasingly gets into the amniotic fluid, the amniotic fluid may look green. The stool can get into the child’s airways and lungs with the amniotic fluid. After the birth the stool can block the airways. The stool can also cause the surfactant to be less effective than usual.

If the child’s airways are blocked or surfactant is ineffective, the pulmonary alveoli may absorb less oxygen. This can cause breathlessness and accelerated breathing. The skin may also be blueish. As a result, a lung inflammation can develop. With a case of lung inflammation, various other health problems can occur. These include a sucking weakness. The child may also keep stopping breathing for a short time. The body temperature may be higher or lower than usual.