Where does the waste of the unborn child go?
Baby poop is an unfortunate aspect of parenting, and after the child is born, you’ll be exposed to it and other bodily fluids in more ways than you’d like. Yet while a baby is inside the womb, what happens to waste?
According to this article, babies begin to adopt some of the duties they’ll carry out after birth while they grow in the uterus, such as urinating. You probably won’t have to worry about being exposed to baby poo until after their birth because most newborns do not poop until after they are born.
Pre-birth ‘poop’ is conceivable, though, and it can cause issues that need to be resolved right soon. Your unborn child will consume nutrients and eliminate wastes as they grow for several months inside the womb. Yet, this waste doesn’t typically take the shape of feces.
The first time your baby poops, they release a waste product called meconium. This normally occurs soon after birth, sometimes even right away! Meconium is a tar-like, dark greenish-black feces. Meconium is likely to persist for a few days after birth if you breastfeed.
Just before delivery, your kid creates this waste material in their intestines. But, difficulties can occasionally occur, causing your baby to create meconium while they are still in the womb. The amniotic fluid may then get clogged with waste.
During pregnancy, babies require help getting nutrients and eliminating waste and the placenta plays a crucial role in all these activities.
Cells that develop in response to pregnancy make up the placenta. It finally connects to the umbilical cord, which is regarded as the lifeline of your child since it allows you to give them nourishment and oxygen.
Your baby will also deposit waste materials that you expel from your body through the placenta. Therefore, for the entire nine months, there is no excrement or urine floating around in your womb.
It is possible for a newborn to pass meconium before delivery, however, it is uncommon. As a result, meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) may develop when a newborn baby unintentionally breathes in amniotic fluid that has been tainted with meconium.
MAS affects roughly 13% of live babies and is a significant but curable illness. Because these particles can obstruct your baby’s airways and deprive them of oxygen, the meconium in the amniotic fluid can become an issue.
If your kid doesn’t breathe normally at birth, your doctor may be able to identify MAS and the respiratory distress will be treated by the medical staff present at birth.
Suction will be used to help remove fluids that are meconium-filled from your baby’s airways. Sometimes extra oxygen may be required but pneumonia may result from MAS if it is not treated.
There are many possible risk factors for MAS. Unborn child distress is one recognized factor. Your baby may not receive enough oxygen or blood if the placenta or umbilical cord are affected, which could lead to distress and meconium passing in the infant.
Babies born at term or slightly after (between 37 and 42 weeks) are similarly more likely to develop MAS than preemies. Even while your baby won’t always have MAS if fetal wastes are eliminated in the womb, it’s still vital to be aware of the disease.
Even though babies often tend until after birth to poop, they are active urinators while still inside the womb. In fact, between 13 and 16 weeks of gestation, when the baby’s kidneys are fully developed, their pee activity ramps up significantly.
Yet, there won’t be any messes because your placenta automatically removes some of this waste. Therefore, although some pee will stay in the amniotic fluid, it won’t be as harmful to the developing fetus as meconium can be.
