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Amniotic fluid is greenish. Why the waters are green: possible prerequisites for the development of pathology. What is the danger of green waters

The passage of water notifies the woman in labor that the child is ready to be born. If there is a discharge of water, then childbirth is approaching because without them the baby cannot be in the stomach for a long time. Experts say that if labor does not begin 24 hours after the water has departed, then you need to go to the hospital without waiting for contractions.

It happens that the water does not leave on its own. This can happen already during childbirth or not at all - then the water bubble is pierced to the woman in labor.

Waters undoubtedly evaluate because their condition has an important diagnostic value. Ideally, the water should be clear. If the amniotic fluid is dark or green, then this indicates that there is some kind of disorder. The doctor must take this fact into account.

Why does this childbirth occur? Are they dangerous? Unfortunately, the answers are all confusing and hard to figure out.

During labor, green waters are not uncommon. If you ask your girlfriends who had green waters about predictions and conclusions, you will get many different answers. Also, it is not uncommon for many women to completely disagree with the opinion of the doctor and are sure that the reason for such waters is different. But still, experts identify several different factors that are the causes of green waters.

Not infrequently, the cause of these waters is the baby's hypoxia. Due to the small amount of oxygen, a reflex contraction of the posterior opening occurs, and the baby's first feces - meconium - are released. It is he who gives the water its characteristic color.

There are many reasons for the development of hypoxia in a baby. For example, among the known causes of green waters is. Why? All due to the fact that with the gestation period, the placenta is "older". She squeezes out her own and is not able to fulfill her functions, namely the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the child. Thus, the baby feels a lack of oxygen, hypoxia develops, a reflex release of meconium occurs - the waters turn green.

Another reason for such waters can be called an infection transferred during pregnancy. These include colds, SARS, urinary tract disease, genital infections.

Maybe you've heard that green color waters are associated with women's nutrition. So, fresh peas or apple juice can green the liquid. But many experts argue that this is not related to nutrition.

Green waters can be observed with genetic diseases in a baby. But this phenomenon is not frequent, so there is no need to say much about this.

But most importantly, childbirth is stressful for the baby, especially if it is protracted. When less, when more, but the baby always experiences some shock during childbirth. Therefore, it is only natural and normal that he secretes meconium. Statistics say that this happens in 30% of cases.

It can take a long time to look for the cause of green waters, but no one says that you will find it. Of course, if you are planning a second baby, then you may need this knowledge. But each pregnancy proceeds in a different way: and it is difficult to predict the child's reaction.

Still, if the waters were green during childbirth, what to expect in the future?

Nobody will answer such a simple question categorically and unambiguously. But doctors at the sight of green waters fuss and sigh. What does it mean?

I must say that green waters can really be a bad sign. All due to the fact that the child "got drunk" during childbirth of this liquid, so they can be heavy. If a woman in labor has gone into green labor, and labor has not yet begun, then there is a high probability of surgery, because the baby is experiencing a lack of oxygen and is in great danger.

It is another matter if the "exit" of meconium happened already during childbirth, and the baby was in an infected environment for some time. Then the risks are reduced to zero. The release of meconium is a normal baby's reaction to birth stress. There is no danger.

What consequences? Green waters- this is not the main factor by which you can assess the well-being and health of the baby. It is not uncommon for babies who are born when the green waters to drain are much stronger and healthier than other babies. A completely different situation can also be observed.

In such cases, the connection between cause and effect cannot be broken. A woman in labor with often transparent water. In the absence of hypoxia, a baby may lose "strange green" waters, and with hypoxia - transparent. With an ideal pregnancy, such waters can also leave.

It must be said that the correct behavior of the doctor plays an important role in childbirth. The airways of a baby who has swallowed green waters must be cleaned of liquid even at the stage of the appearance of the head, until he took the first breath and got meconium into the baby's lungs. In this case, the doctor should stop the attempts and do an aspiration.

Every woman should understand that there are many factors during childbirth that should not be underestimated. The most important thing is that everything is in order with the newborn. And the green color of the waters is not a sign of excitement. Love your green-water babies - this is what really matters!

Sometimes expectant mothers have green waters during childbirth. Most women in childbirth at the sight of an opaque liquid immediately begin to panic. This is not worth doing, because panic can only aggravate the process of giving birth to a baby.

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baby inside measurements
pain observation development
pregnant mother drinking


It is the discharge of amniotic fluid that is a sign of the upcoming birth of a baby. Sometimes the fluid leaves on its own, but in some cases, the amniotic fluid has to be pierced. At this point, doctors discover an unusual state of amniotic fluid.

Usually, a woman pours out clear waters. But, if there is any violation, then their color changes. Let's take a closer look at why a woman sometimes has green waters during childbirth and how dangerous it is for her and her baby.

Send the waters away

The reasons for this problem

A good doctor always talks not only about the consequences, but also about the reasons why green waters appear during childbirth. For modern obstetric practice, such phenomena are not uncommon, so experts begin to talk about an alarming trend. But don't panic if this happened to you.

First you need to find out why you developed green waters during childbirth. The reasons for their occurrence are different, but they are far from always dangerous to health. By the way, doctors have not yet fully studied this phenomenon, so it is not always possible to reliably find out why women have alarming green waters during childbirth. There are the following reasons:

  • the emergence of the danger of hypoxia due to insufficient oxygen in the womb;
  • the baby's anus begins to shrink, so the original feces are released, which stains the water;
  • amniotic fluid can change color when the gestation period has exceeded normal and the placenta is aging;
  • pathology can develop when, during pregnancy, a woman suffered from a genital or catarrhal infection, inflammation of the bladder, bronchitis and SARS can cause infection of intrauterine fluid;
  • pathology manifests itself as a result of genetic abnormalities during the development of the baby, however, these violations occur quite rarely;
  • sometimes the phenomenon is observed due to the stress that the baby has suffered, the tiny child is very susceptible, therefore, it can excrete feces, which will color the water in a greenish color;
  • another reason for this problem may lie in the nutrition of the expectant mother, the color changes if the day before she drank apple juice or ate fresh peas, keep in mind that these are only medical assumptions, but they should also be taken into account.

What actions need to be taken

When a woman has green waters during childbirth, the doctor must definitely clear the airways as soon as the baby's head appears. When the phenomenon has already happened during strong contractions, there is no need to worry. Usually in this case, a completely healthy baby is born.

In such situations, the doctor necessarily makes the woman CTG, listens to the fetal heartbeat in order to notice possible hypoxia in time. When a child suffers, obstetricians take all measures to end the labor process as soon as possible. The most important thing is not to delay, when during childbirth at the very beginning you have lost green waters.

In no case should you sit at home and wait for a contraction, since there is a risk of intrauterine infection. We urgently need to call a car and go to the hospital.

During pregnancy, it is advisable to find photos of green waters on Internet sites so that you do not make mistakes during childbirth. You will know exactly how they look and when you need to sound the alarm. When amniotic fluid is poured out, you should try to remember its smell, the approximate volume and time of pouring out. This information will need to be provided to the midwife who will receive you at the hospital.

The beginning of labor

If you are planning a home birth, but the green or brown waters have receded, you will have to seek help from a healthcare professional. When the amniotic fluid changes its color, but the labor process does not begin for a long time, most often the doctor decides on a cesarean section.

What are the consequences of the problem

First of all, when during childbirth you have passed the green birth, you need to think about the consequences for the baby, which can be quite serious. The fetus constantly interacts with amniotic fluid for all 9 months. During the first months, he absorbs it through the body, and at the end of pregnancy, swallows it through the mouth.

Before birth, the baby pushes the liquid out of the mouth, so it no longer flows into the lungs. However, if hypoxia is a consequence of the green waters that appeared during childbirth, the baby can swallow the infected fluid. This will affect his health and well-being.

The appearance of green waters

When your baby swallows green amniotic fluid during childbirth, an urgent need to clear the respiratory causes. However, due to the content of meconium in the liquid, there may be problems with ventilation of the lungs, so the child simply cannot take an independent breath. In this case, immediately after the birth of the baby's head, the doctor stops pushing to clear the airways. Thus, when you have green waters during childbirth, the baby may develop hypoxia - a lack of oxygen. The phenomenon can provoke the following consequences:

  • muscle hypertonia;
  • constant unreasonable regurgitation;
  • anxiety, sleep disturbance;
  • violations and delays in the development of the child.

Do not panic right away, because it is not a fact that your baby will suffer from the above factors. In many cases, children develop fully and do not experience any complications or abnormalities.

According to statistics, about 1/3 of babies defecate during childbirth, as they endure severe shock. Just imagine, he was quietly developing for 9 months and was in the womb, and now he is about to be born. In this case, feces and amniotic fluid of a non-standard color do not pose any danger to the mother and child. The most important thing is not to delay such an important event, urgently collect things and go to the hospital. Find out. Yes

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Attention!

The information published on the site is for informational purposes only and is intended for information only. Site visitors should not use them as medical advice! The editors of the site do not advise to self-medicate. Determining the diagnosis and choosing a treatment method remains the exclusive prerogative of your attending physician! Remember that only complete diagnostics and therapy under the supervision of a doctor will help to completely get rid of the disease!

One of the signs of the onset of labor is the discharge of amniotic fluid. This can happen spontaneously or artificially, by piercing the fetal bladder. The state of the drained waters is taken into account, ideally they should be colorless and transparent. Green waters during childbirth usually indicate the existing problems in the child.

In recent years, the green tint of amniotic fluid is found more and more often, in connection with which experts are seriously thinking about the emergence of a large-scale problem with respect to the normal intrauterine development of a child in the mother's body. But you should not panic, even if the green waters have receded - this does not mean that everything is bad. The causes of green waters during childbirth vary in importance.

During pregnancy, the amniotic fluid provides the fetus with nutrition and protection. They are 97% water, which contains proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and other biologically active substances. Normally, the amniotic fluid is colorless. The green color of the waters is one of the main options for their coloration. Red and brown waters are less common.

According to experts, the reasons for the appearance of amniotic fluid of this color are:

  1. Fetal hypoxia. When the child does not have enough oxygen, meconium is released into the water - his original feces, against the background of reflex compression of the sphincter of the anus. Meconium colors the waters green.
  2. Aging of the placenta. Also, meconium can be released as a result. In this case, the placenta grows old and can no longer cope with the functions for which it is responsible - nutrition and supply of oxygen to the fetus. The situation is the same - the fetus begins to experience a lack of oxygen and prematurely excretes the original feces.
  3. Infections during pregnancy. These can be acute and chronic diseases that a woman has suffered while in position: urinary tract pathologies (pyelonephritis, etc.), genital infections (ureaplasmosis, etc.), colds, SARS, tonsillitis, flu and much more.
  4. Genetic diseases of the child. Such phenomena are rare, but they should not be ruled out.

Answering the question why green waters appear during childbirth, the following possible reasons should be noted:

  • low hemoglobin in the mother;
  • intrauterine infection;
  • entanglement or prolapse of the umbilical cord;
  • detachment of the placenta and a sharp violation of blood circulation in its tissues.

There is an opinion that the consumption of large amounts of green vegetables and fruits can cause the amniotic fluid to stain the corresponding color. But experts do not consider this information sufficiently substantiated. Most neonatologists are sure that no matter how much green peas and cabbage eaten before childbirth, this will not affect the color of the amniotic fluid.

What is the danger?

During pregnancy and childbirth, water gets into the mouth and respiratory system of the fetus. It is not dangerous, the more pure clear waters are harmless for it. If the amniotic fluid is green, it is most likely contaminated with meconium, and the higher the degree of this contamination, the more severe the consequences for the baby.

Meconium green waters can cause depression of the nervous and cardiovascular systems of the fetus, cause respiratory disorders, up to the development of asphyxia in the newborn. Once in the lungs of a child, the remnants of meconium provoke the development of the most serious pneumonia. Babies who undergo meconium aspiration (respiratory blockage) during birth have low scores. In the future, they often catch colds and suffer from diseases of the respiratory system.

Consequences of green waters during childbirth

The consequences of green waters during childbirth are usually associated with hypoxia and with the fact that the baby swallowed them while still in the womb. In any case, after birth, such a baby is aspirated from the respiratory tract, but due to the presence of meconium in the waters, it is often difficult to breathe and ventilate the baby's lungs. To avoid this, the doctor during childbirth asks the woman in labor to delay attempts, and after the appearance of the baby's head, he immediately clears his respiratory tract from foreign contents.

If the amniotic fluid has departed spontaneously, outside the walls of the hospital, a woman should definitely pay attention to its volume, smell and color - this information is relevant for specialists who are taking part in childbirth. If the green waters have departed, and labor does not develop, then in most cases a decision is made about an emergency caesarean section. After birth, such a newborn is more closely monitored, and after discharge from the hospital, the young mother is advised to show the child as early as possible to a neurologist.

Hypoxia during childbirth can be fraught with serious consequences that affect the development of the child. Much depends on the degree of contamination of the amniotic fluid. Most often, in children who have experienced hypoxia during childbirth, doctors observe persistent sleep disturbances, unreasonable regurgitation and vomiting, delayed speech development, and much more. Fortunately, this does not happen in all cases, and many children born against the background of such a complication during childbirth are born healthy and develop fully without any delays or deviations.

Doctors believe that up to 30% of children secrete meconium into the amniotic fluid at the beginning of labor because of the shock associated with new sensations. Of course, such amniotic fluid is not dangerous. In addition, most experts are sure that the importance of green waters is often exaggerated, since it is important to assess the situation in a complex, taking all factors of pregnancy into account. In any case, the discharge of green waters cannot be ignored.

For many pregnant women, information about amniotic fluid is limited to information that it is the fluid that fills the membranes. In it, being in the womb, the child "floats". And that when, shortly before childbirth, the shell tears, this fluid is poured out. However, you should know that appearance fetal water serves as one of the indicators of the state of the fetus. Brown, red, or green waters during childbirth can be a sign of abnormalities.

Reasons for staining fruit waters green

Amniotic fluid (as the fetal fluid is called in medicine) provides the baby with protection and nutrition for 9 months. Consisting of 97% water, it contains proteins, sugar, fats, enzymes, vitamins and other bioactive substances. Ideally, amniotic fluid is almost clear and colorless. Green waters are the most common possible color for amniotic fluid.

The greenish color of the fruit waters can be a sign of lack of water. But most often, the cause of the staining of the fetal waters in green is the ingress of original feces (meconium) into them as a result of increased intestinal motility and reflex contraction of the muscles of the child's anal sphincter. It can be caused by a little stress on the baby, which is inevitable during labor stimulation, prolonged labor, or a lack of oxygen (hypoxia).

Oxygen starvation of the fetus can be triggered by:

  • aging of the placenta (with prolonged pregnancy);
  • detachment of the placenta or a sharp violation of blood circulation in it;
  • prolapse or entanglement of the umbilical cord;
  • low hemoglobin in the mother;
  • a malformation of the intrauterine development of the child;
  • intrauterine infection;
  • diseases transferred during pregnancy - colds, viral, diseases of the genitourinary organs;
  • aggravated kidney or endocrine system diseases in a pregnant woman.

Eating fruits and vegetables that are green, as the reason for the staining of fetal waters, is recognized by modern neonatologists as insufficiently substantiated. Many of them believe that no amount of eaten green apples or peas can turn one and a half liters of colorless fruit waters into a green liquid.

What is the danger of green waters

Amniotic fluid before childbirth (or during childbirth) in one amount or another enters the oral cavity and respiratory tract of the child. Normal, clean waters are harmless. Red or brown amniotic fluid is considered a clear cause for concern. The degree of danger of green waters during childbirth depends on the cause that caused their staining.

When the amniotic fluid has a grayish-greenish color due to the fact that they are only more concentrated (that is, their amount is less than the standard 1 - 1.5 liters), this does not pose any threat. And if the green color of fetal waters is caused by meconium pollution, and the degree of pollution is high, the consequences for the child can be severe.

Meconium fetal waters can cause suppression of the functions of the cervical and central nervous system, as well as respiratory disorders (bronchial obstruction), up to asphyxia (suffocation). Once in the lungs of a newborn, a suspension of meconium can provoke the development of severe pneumonia. Newborns who have had meconium aspiration syndrome (airway blockage) usually have a low Apgar score. Subsequently, such children are prone to diseases of the respiratory system.

How to reduce the risk of complications

The discharge of fetal waters in any case serves as a signal that labor will begin soon. And if the water is green, you need to go to the hospital immediately. The child must not be allowed to suffer from oxygen deficiency (after all, it is she who most often causes the green color of the waters) or swallowed harmful liquid. All further actions, based on their situation, are planned by the doctor in charge of childbirth.

The discharge of green fetal waters in the absence of labor may serve as an indication for urgent delivery by cesarean section. If labor has begun on its own, the newborn's airways are cleared of meconium water before the baby takes its first breath. For this, the obstetrician can even temporarily suspend the attempts.

To prevent meconium particles from entering the alveoli of the lungs, the following measures can be sequentially carried out:

  • removal (suction) of meconium water from the nose and mouth and immediately after the eruption of the baby's head;
  • airway intubation (insertion of thin tubes into the trachea or bronchi);
  • bronchial lavage (lavage) with isotonic sodium solution.

In the case when water pollution with meconium occurred already during childbirth, it is not dangerous, and is considered a normal physiological phenomenon. The child is not in a harmful environment for long, and the risks to the health of the newborn are minimal.

Summing up, we can say that in the process of childbirth, many of the factors affecting the condition of the child are interrelated, and should not be assessed in isolation. Statistics say that green waters during childbirth are observed in almost 30% of women in childbirth. In most cases, there are no complications, the child is born strong and healthy.

Water plays an important role in gestation. Amniotic fluid provides the baby with nutrition and protection throughout pregnancy. Her discharge by rupture or bladder in the hospital is one of the first signs of the birth process. Even if there are no contractions, and the water has receded, a woman needs to urgently call an ambulance team, because without a liquid medium, a child with the worst prognosis may die.

Waters of a greenish tint are more and more often recorded by doctors during delivery. This trend indicates a possible large-scale problem - the pathologies of intrauterine development. Green waters during childbirth can appear for various reasons, but not all of them are equally significant. It is important to know when an opaque color signals violations in order to respond to them in time and prevent a catastrophe.

Doctors believe that the condition of the waters is of invaluable diagnostic value. There are several priority underpinnings for the appearance of green waters during childbirth:

  • oxygen "hunger" of the little one;
  • post-term baby;
  • infection during gestation.

Rare genetic abnormalities of the fetus can provoke a situation where the green amniotic waters will go away during childbirth. But this factor is so rare that it is not worth focusing on.

Green waters during childbirth are not always a cause for concern. Pushing through the mother's birth canal, the baby is stressed, therefore, it involuntarily empties the intestines. Meconium in a newborn and stains everything green. This happens in 30% of cases, most often with prolonged labor.

There is a hypothesis that green amniotic fluid during childbirth occurs when the woman in labor drank apple juice or ate green peas the day before. But it is unlikely that the color of the waters is really connected with nutrition.

Answering the question why the water is green or greenish during childbirth, do not forget about such factors as:

  • low hemoglobin in a woman in labor;
  • torsion / prolapse of the umbilical cord;
  • detachment of the child's place, a sharp violation of hematodynamics in it, which can become the background for the development of hypoxia.

There are several prerequisites for the occurrence of green waters in a pregnant woman.

Thus, the final reasons for the accumulation of green amniotic waters during childbirth are far from always reliably known. Most often, oxygen deficiency caused by one reason or another leads to the release of meconium. Due to a lack of oxygen, the sphincter of the crumbs can begin to involuntarily contract, pushing out the feces. This is why green waters flow during childbirth.

But not only feces stains them in a pathological color. Answering the question of what amniotic fluid can be, why and why exactly green waters during a normally proceeding childbirth make gynecologists worry, it should be noted that a yellow or gray-green color indicates a lack of water. And this sign in itself is a rather dangerous sign.

There are other shades of water: yellow, reddish, brownish.

It is not a fact that green waters during childbirth will be a harbinger of further health problems for a newborn baby, but they may be so, why, having received information about the unusual colors of the waters, the doctor will insure himself and send the patient for special tests.

The potential danger of green waters lies not so much in their color as in the causes and consequences for children.

How to determine the color of amniotic fluid

Thus, feces or infection can enter the aquatic environment around the fetus, resulting in amniotic green waters. But there is also another color:

  • yellow, cloudy, dirty - the norm when a baby is born;
  • yellow with streaks of pink or red against the background of good health - just a harbinger of the uterus's readiness to resolve the burden;
  • red is fraught with serious consequences for the mother and child, in which case urgent hospitalization is needed;
  • dark brown, seemingly black color of water during childbirth is a signal of the intrauterine death of the baby, but the mother can and must be saved.

If amniotic fluid is poured out long before giving birth at home, for example, while taking a bath, be sure to call an ambulance.

Important! Remember the color, smell, amount of colored water, if we are talking about premature leakage. This information will need to be reported to a specialist.

Methods for diagnosing amniotic water:

  • amnioscopy;
  • amniocentnesis (puncture of the amniotic fluid);
  • Ultrasound (in this regard, an uninformative method).

What is the danger of green waters during childbirth

If green waters are poured out during childbirth, this means that there is a serious threat to the baby's lungs.

Throughout pregnancy, the fetus absorbs amniotic fluid. First (in the first months) - with the skin, then swallows a little water through the mouth. If they are transparent and do not contain foreign inclusions, then nothing threatens the baby's body. If its own secretions enter the respiratory system of the fetus, then in the future it will be susceptible to pneumonia or pulmonitis. In addition, meconium pulmonary inflammation is difficult to treat, resulting in high infant mortality.

Green waters during childbirth are not something to be afraid of when there is an experienced doctor nearby. He will immediately clean the airways, but if he still does not have time to do this at the moment the head appears, pay attention to the fight against possible consequences.

Green waters during childbirth mean the baby is at risk, but not necessarily anomalous.

It is not known for certain why green waters appear at the time of the birth of a child or before him, but the severity of the consequences is proportional to the degree of hypoxia. That is why the baby and his mother, if they suspect a pathology, undergo additional examinations after birth.

Consequences of green waters during childbirth: what to expect in the future

Every mother should know the causes and consequences of the discharge of green waters during childbirth, because this pathology can develop at the end of pregnancy, complicating childbirth.

Here's why green waters are dangerous during childbirth:

  • postpartum pneumonia, bronchitis;
  • diseases of the eyes, kidneys, skin;
  • delayed development;

Green waters during childbirth provoke unpleasant complications and consequences for the baby. The consequences of hypoxia may not appear immediately, but in 2 - 3 years in the form of delayed speech development or in adolescence in the form of fainting.

If the green waters have departed during childbirth and during the passage the child sipped and did not vomit the contaminated substance, he risks in the future to suffer from diarrhea, vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, rickets. Parents will feel all the consequences and influence of green waters during childbirth on the development of the baby in the first year of life. A newborn may experience:

  • anxiety;
  • hyperactivity;
  • muscle tone;
  • sleep disturbances;
  • intracranial hypertension;
  • moodiness and much more.

That is why you cannot ignore the symptoms of pathology and self-medicate.

Green waters and caesarean section

In cases where water of an unusual color has poured out, and the contractions do not begin, the doctor may carry out a cesarean. The section is performed after CTG in order to preserve the health of the baby. During childbirth, the baby could naturally choke on amniotic water with feces, but thanks to cesarean this will not happen.

Green waters during delivery is a common case in medical practice, which has a certain diagnostic value.

If amniotic water enters the lungs, the doctor will cleanse the respiratory tract, but part of the infected substance is able to penetrate into the body with the first breath. This is fraught with developmental delay, soreness of the offspring and even death. Contacting specialists will avoid these consequences.