Objective: This study aimed to determine the maternal clinical factors associated with neonatal respiratory morbidity and other adverse neonatal outcomes in meconium-stained labor among term parturients. Methodology: A retrospective cohort study was done on admitted obstetric patients with term gestation and had meconium-stained labor. Maternal clinical factors such as age, parity, gestational age, manner of delivery, duration of labor, presence of term prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM), character of meconium-stained liquor (MSL), and presence of comorbidities were identified and analyzed to determine their association with neonatal respiratory morbidity and other adverse neonatal outcomes. Results: In this study, there were 986 cases identified to have meconium-stained labor, and 168 developed neonatal respiratory morbidity. As to primary outcome, maternal clinical factors, such as age >35 years, multiparity, age of gestation >41 weeks, prolonged labor, presence of PROM, significant MSL upon admission, presence of change from nonsignificant to significant MSL, presence of intrauterine growth restriction, and hypertension, were all shown to be statistically significant. Conclusion The presence of maternal clinical factors in meconium-stained labor was observed to be a risk factor in developing neonatal respiratory morbidity and other adverse neonatal outcomes. Hence, identification of maternal risk factors and early detection of meconium-stained amniotic fluid are vital in administering timely intervention to labor and delivery to reduce neonatal complications.
Infant, Newborn, Diseases