Meconium

any shade.

And when it's any shade of green, this is when we're concerned about something called meconium.

Meconium is the poop that's in your baby's bowels while they're in the womb.

And sometimes when a baby is in some sort of distress, they will pass that meconium into the womb early.

So usually it kind of stays in there until they're born.

And they broke my water.

Meconium was in there.

So they were like, yeah, she's not reacting well to the Pitocin.

We just got to get her out.

but if it's very very clear that your water is broken do you need a test and the answer is no but of course you're welcome to get one if you want one and it's especially important to consider one if you're not sure so what is normal when the water breaks if the water breaks and your fluid is clear and does not have a smell and your baby is moving normally that is considered normal If the water breaks and the fluid is a darker yellow color, a green color, a brown color, it has a funky smell or you're noticing that after the water breaks your baby is not moving normally, contact your provider right away because that might be concerning.

The fluid might be a funky color or smell maybe because of infection or because the baby had a poop in utero which is called meconium.

Meconium is the baby's first poop.

And if you notice meconium in the amniotic fluid, it may mean that the baby is a little stressed.

It could mean that the baby was a little stressed for a moment and now they're okay.

Microplastics have been detected in placental tissue from pregnant individuals, indicating that these particles can cross from maternal blood into the placenta itself.

Some studies have found microplastics in meconium, which is the first stool passed by newborns after birth.

Meconium is formed before birth, entirely from swallowed amniotic fluid and other materials within the womb, so the presence of microplastics in meconium suggests fetal ingestion of these particles from amniotic fluid.

Amniotic fluid samples from pregnant individuals have tested positive for microplastics, confirming that these particles reach the fetal environment.

If microplastics can cross the placental barrier and contaminate amniotic fluid, then the developing foetus is exposed to microplastics during a critical developmental window.