Meconium stained liquor (or MSL) is when the baby opens their bowels inside the uterus, before being born, making the amniotic fluid or 'waters' look dark green or brownish colour. Most babies born with meconium stained liquor are well and healthy, just requiring suctioning of their nose and mouth at birth, but MSL could be a sign of the baby being distressed during the labour.
When there is meconium in the waters, caregivers can be concerned that a small amount might be inhaled into the baby's lungs, increasing the baby's chances of developing breathing problems or a pneumonia-type infection within a day or so of the birth. For this reason your baby will most likely be placed on what are called 'AC obs' for 24 hours. This is the medical term for 'observations before a meal' (or feed as the case may be!) If the baby does not wake for a feed after at least 4 hours, your caregiver may perform the observations anyway or wake them to feed.
The baby will probably have regular recordings of their temperature, breathing ('respirations') and pulse (or heart beat, known as an 'apex' reading). These should be able to be performed on the postnatal ward, without separating mother and baby. You can read more in
meconium stained amniotic fluid.
Group B strep
Group B streptococcus (Strep B or GBS) is a normal bacterium that is commonly present in the vagina of about 5 to 30% of pregnant women (depending on the study). It is often tested for with a vaginal swab in the last months or weeks of the pregnancy. Mothers known to carry Group B strep are often given antibiotics during the labour.
While only about 1 to 2% of babies will have a problem with a group B strep infection, some hospitals will have a policy of performing observations on babies of mothers who were known to carry the bacteria. These are usually done on the postnatal ward for 24 hours or so after the birth.