All issues > Volume 22(11); 1979

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1979;22(11):947-955. Published online November 15, 1979.

The Time of the First Stool and Urine by the Low Birth Weight, Premature Infant.

Chong Ku Yoon, Eung Sang Choi

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Korea.

Abstract

The times of passage of the first stool and urine in the newborn infant are important because delayed micturition may indicate urinary tract pathology and failure to pass meconium may be an early sign of intestinal obsturuction. Times of first void and first stool in 180 consecutive low birth weight, premature infant born at Seoul National University Hospital during 44 months from January 1976 to August 1979 were recorded. Available data were gathered with regard to gestional age.The aim was to determine the relation of the first void and first stool to gestational age, mode of delivery, initial feeding and Apgar score. All infants voided by 34 hours with a tendency for preterm woid early. There was a delay in the passage of the meconium by the low birth weight, premature infant as compared with full term infant.Smaller gestational age group tended to pass the meconium late in all groups and early feeding group tended to pass the first meconium and the first void early. But there was no differences of the time of the first meconium and first urination between Apgar score or mode of delivery.If meconium passage did not occur within 24 hours after birth, close observations were needed.But Failure of low birth weight infants to pass meconium by 36 hours shoul call for examination to determine the cause of delay of meconium passage. Similarly, close observation of all premature who have not voided for 24 hours is indicated.

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