blue baby

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. an infant born with cyanosis resulting from a congenital heart or lung defect.

---

blue baby British  

noun

1. a baby born with a bluish tinge to the skin because of lack of oxygen in the blood, esp caused by a congenital defect of the heart

---

Etymology

Origin of blue baby

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Nitrate-contaminated drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome where an infant’s blood doesn’t have enough oxygen.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2023

Two stuffed teddy bears were laid in a bright blue baby carrier.

From Reuters • Mar. 18, 2022

Lastly: If you don’t want a deluge of pink or blue baby clothes, blankets, and decorative items, I suggest you tell your families that.

From Slate • Jan. 31, 2021

In drinking water, they cause blue baby syndrome, which prevents infants from absorbing oxygen; in lakes, they fertilize neurotoxic algae; in farm country, they are a major source of suffocating smog.

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2018

Where we had a table with a cloth and a vase for flowers and some chairs, they only kept a empty blue baby crib with a tired old white sheet over one corner.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis