meconium

Key facts

Medical condition (new).name: Meconium
Medical condition (new).image: Meconium.jpg
Medical condition (new).caption: Meconium from 12-hour-old newbornthe baby's third bowel movementScale: 5 cm left to right.
Medical condition (new).field: Pediatrics
Medical condition (new).image_size: 200

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Research

8,985 papers

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Wikidata facts

Image: Meconium.jpg

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Commons category: Meconium
Commons gallery: Meconium
NCI Thesaurus ID: C78743

Sources (3)

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~6 min read

Article

10 sections

Contents

Clinical significance
Meconium in amniotic fluid
Failure to pass meconium
Testing meconium for drugs
Sterility
Etymology
Other uses
Gallery
References
External links

Meconium is the earliest stool of a mammalian infant resulting from defecation. Unlike later feces, meconium is composed of materials ingested during the time the infant spends in the uterus: intestinal epithelial cells, lanugo, mucus, amniotic fluid, bile, and water. Meconium, unlike later feces, is viscous and sticky like tar – its color usually being a very dark olive green and it is almost odorless. When diluted in amniotic fluid, it may appear in various shades of green, brown, or yellow. It should be completely passed by the end of the first few days after birth, with the stools progressing toward yellow (digested milk).

== Clinical significance ==