waste material that passes from baby to mother
Meconium Meconium is normally retained in the infant's bowel until after birth, but sometimes it is expelled into the amniotic fluid (also called "amniotic liquor") prior to birth or during labor and delivery. The stained amniotic fluid (called "meconium liquor" or "meconium stained liquor") is recognised by medical staff that this may be a sign of fetal distress. Some post-dates pregnancies (where the woman is more than 40 weeks pregnant) may also have meconium stained liquor without fetal distress. Medical staff may aspirate the meconium from the nose and mouth of a newborn immediately after delivery in the event the baby shows signs of respiratory distress to decrease the risk of meconium aspiration syndrome.
Childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of a pregnancy by one or more babies leaving a woman's uterus by vaginal passage or C-section.[4] In 2015 there were about 135 million births globally.[5] About 15 million were born before 37 weeks of gestation,[6] while between 3 and 12% were born after 42 weeks.[7] In the developed world most deliveries occur in hospital,[8][9] while in the developing world most births take place at home with the support of a traditional birth attendant.[10]