Is there a gestational age distribution in the passage of meconium?

SummarySome 13 112 infants were born in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, from 1 January 1979 to 31 December 1980. Sixteen per cent had passed meconium before delivery. Of the total, 1652 were excluded from analysis as all data was not available. When the remaining 11 460 were divided according to gestational age at delivery, the incidence of meconium staining rose as maturity increased from 35 to 42 weeks. At the same time, the percentage of all babies with an Apgar score below 7 fell. There is a positive association between the passage of meconium and increasing gestational age which should be borne in mind when the presence or absence of meconium is considered clinically significant.