meconium Hear it!

meconium Definition

me·co·nium (mi kō′nē əm)

noun

the greenish fecal matter in a fetus, forming the first bowel movement of a newborn infant

Etymology: ModL < L, meconium, orig. poppy juice < Gr mēkōnion < mēkōn, poppy < IE *mak(en)- > OHG maho (Ger mohn), Russ mak

meconium Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • pass: However, with her third baby, Jude, Rachael decided to transfer to hospital after her waters broke and her baby passed meconium.
  • have: Despite being over three weeks late Mia had no meconium in her water at all.
  • inhale: Ninety-five percent of infants with inhaled meconium clear the lungs spontaneously.
  • swallow: The baby became distressed at the end of the labor and swallowed meconium.
  • stain: There is meconium stained liquor, is delivery imminent?

Adjective modifier

  • thick: An affected baby may have intestinal obstruction from thick meconium filling the intestine.
  • old: There was old meconium in the water, but Casper was safe and well.
  • fresh: At just before 9am on the Wednesday, things got more serious as another bubble of waters broke and obviously contained fresh meconium.

Modifies a noun

  • ileus: Up to 15 % of infants with CF present with meconium ileus.
  • aspiration: Meconium aspiration syndrome: reflections on a murky subject.
  • syndrome: Meconium aspiration syndrome: reflections on a murky subject.
  • passage: Meconium passage in newborn infants is a developmentally programmed event normally occurring within the first 24 to 48 hours after birth.

Preposition: in

  • water: Note from Angela: See also Meconium in the waters - What does it mean when there is meconium in the waters?
  • liquor: Unfortunately there was meconium in the liquor, so the midwives had to persuade me to get out of the pool.