past due date and meconium/poop

[skmama]

what are the chances of a baby pooping meconium if you have gone past your due date? is this normal? I don't know much on this subject...

[sarahmagoo]

I'm not sure of any stats, but I had 2 babies born at 40+6 and one had mec. and the other didn't.

[skmama]

Thanks for your response, SarahMagoo. I hope the one with meconium didn't have any problems.

[sarahmagoo]

Nope, she was fine. They had a pediatric team there for the delivery because of it and they checked her out right away.

[jr'smom]

I had 3 babies past EDD and none with meconium. The most recent was 11 days past so I feel your anxiousness, skmama!

[jrabbit]

skmama - please try not to worry - your baby will be born when it's ready. I know how you feel, really. DD2 was born 42w5d with no meconium, no problems, no nothing. DD3 did have meconium, but she was born completely perfectly healthy at 43w1d. Meconium by itself is not a reason to worry. ETA: what I meant to say is that "fear of meconium" is unsubstantiated. As Amie said, meconium doesn't appear just because you're post-date. I'm probably still not saying it clearly, but you shouldn't worry about meconium - and at the same time, even if there "is" meconium, you shouldn't be afraid of it.

My midwife has attended lots of 43 week births, lots of births with meconium, and she's never seen meconium aspiration in over 1600 babies. Not saying it *can't* happen, just that it's statistically improbable. Just being post-date doesn't mean meconium nor does it mean bad things will happen.

take care
--janis

[AmieV]

I was 42w4d and my water was beautiful with SROM: plentiful and perfectly clear.

I don't have statistics for you, but meconium is related to stress/distress, not just postdates in and of itself. If your baby is healthy and happy in there, it's unlikely to pose a problem.

When I went crazy overdue, as a doula it was hard not to want to look up and read everything I could get my hands on, but instead I really tried to key into my intuition which was solidly telling me my baby was fine and just needed a bit more time. I did do a few of the extra tests, BPP and NST's with my midwife, and lots of kick counts, so I didn't ignore technology entirely, but I really found that trusting my gut more than anything else helped me stay sane.

My baby girl is here and perfect, and her birth went just as it should have though not quite how I had wanted...yours will too. (((hugs)))

[xakana]

My first baby was 42 weeks, tons of meconium. This baby? 39 weeks, 6 days and just as much meconium. I joke that my babies just like to poop in me (and #2 had meconium in her nose and mouth and had to be suctioned, but it wasn't a big deal, it was just cleaned out before the cord was cut, before she started breathing on her own).

[painefaria]

41+1 and no mec.

[happyblessedmama]

I've gone past my EDD 2 times.

I went to 41+2 and that baby did have mec, and did aspirate, and was in NICU for 12 days, on a ventilator for 7.

My January baby was born at 40+3 (I was induced, my choice, due to the history) and there was thankfully no mec for him.

I understand the incidence of it goes up the further along you are, and that most babies don't require special care beyond some suctioning depending on teh situation.

[sattygirl99]

41 weeks 2 days here... Lots of mec but she was fine after being suctioned.