Low Amniotic Fluid

Hi,
You are very fortunate that they doctors know about this and are monitoring it. I told my doctor and the nurse for a couple of weeks that my baby wasn't moving or kicking much. I finally took matters into my own hands and went to the hospital the the maternal assessment center. A quick ultrasound showed very low amniotic fluid. The doctor told me that I was extremely fortunate to have come in and if we had waited even another day, he would have been stillborn.

Ladies, listen to your body and be firm with your doctors. 5 years later, this still upsets me.

Things turned out fine. My son was born by urgent c-section a couple hours later at 34 1/2 weeks gestation. Fortunately he didn't have any lung issues. He spent a couple of weeks in the hospital and then we were home with him. Most of the hospital time was waiting for him to be able to eat enough to gain weight. On a side note, he was born with Down syndrome, so that was the main issue with the eating.

I don't know what could have prevented it, but fortunately for you, you are almost 31 weeks. That is very young, but chances are very good that you won't have major problems. Be prepared for baby to have a long hospital stay - they usually say in the hospital until their due date.

Good luck with everything. I know it will all turn out fine. Stay on top of the ultrasounds and monitoring and keep track of babies movements.

K.

I too had low amniotic fluid and was monitored weekly. I don't recall how quickly the fluid level dropped but I do remember it leveled off at about 33 weeks and I gave birth prematurely at 35 weeks. My daughter spent significant time in the NICU due to lung issues but now she is a happy, healthy, wonderful 19 month old.

Mine was a little different scenario- my water broke at 31 3/7...just a few hundred cc leak actually, and they would have let me wait until 32 weeks with low fluid since over 32 means better lung development. My daughter happened to want to come out that day and she spent about 24 days in the NICU. It really is a matter of getting him/her to eat. She had mastered the bilirubin, gaining weight, and keeping her temp. Had we started breastfeeding ASAP I really think we could have been home earlier. The bottle was harder for her to understand- took about four days to get an entire one in. My best advice is get a lactation consult as soon as your babe doesn't need CPAP or anything. If you're bottle feeding they usually say that babies understand how to eat and breathe together at 34 weeks but my daughter came home just after that because I insisted on starting to feed her before that.

Good luck, you've made it pretty far and those little ones are very resilient. I know it seems scary but they do pretty well. :)

I had similar numbers with low AF...they told me to drink, drink, drink water!!! (I don't think its directly correlated with your fluis levels..but it helps). I had many ultrasounds to check on it. Its normal towards the end of your pregnancy for the fluid eves to fall which is also why they worry so much about it now. Its what is cushioning your baby so the umbilical cord is not compressed. if it falls too low they have to induce for the baby's safety :( I ended up stabalizing the fluid towards the end but did end up being induced at 38 weeks due to high blood pressure. My baby was a heathy baby boy. Keep drinking water as much as you can. Good luck!

I completely understand your fears. I was on hospitalized bedrest for 2 weeks when my water broke at 23 weeks and 5 days. After my water broke the highest my fluid level made it to was 1.6. Yes, my daughter did have some lung issues but she is working through them still, and doing very well. She was born at 25 weeks and 5 days and I too had the steroid shots. The best things you can do is lay down as much as possible and drink as much as possible. The nurses told me basically the more you drink the more the baby will pee and then the fluid increases. I know it sounds gross but hey, it is a fact of LIFE. Try not to get to worried about it the doctors know what to do and when it is not safe, this is why you are getting the ultrasounds weekly. I know that is easier said than done but trust in the doctors and the powers that be (god or whomever you trust in)! There is a saying I live by due to things that have happened in my life and that is, God will not give me more than he knows I can handle, I wish he didn't trust me so much!

My friends levels were dropping as well and the doctor just told her to take it easy and then they monitored it weekly as well. HOWEVER<

she put herself on bedrest and drank a ton of water. The only thing she allowed herself to get up for was to use the bathroom. Within 2 to 3 weeks her amniotic fluid levels were back to normal. They don't know what caused the drop or increase but she accredits it to her bedrest and water drinking.

Hi C.,

I don't mean to alarm you, but why aren't you in the hospital on strict bed rest being monitored? Do you go to an OB or a family practioner? Since your membranes have broken your baby is at risk for getting an infection which is very dangerous. You should be on IV antibotics at the very least.

I'm a registered nurse and I've never heard of anyone not being put in the hospital with ruptered membranes to be monitored.

With my 3rd child my membranes ruptered at 31 weeks also. I was put in the hospital. Yes, our goal was to make it to 34 weeks as well. As long as you're not in labor and the baby is showing he/she is okay on the monitor then it's best to not have the baby until 34 weeks. I was told by the perinatologist that for everyday we keep the baby in the womb, that is 3 days out of the NICU that she won't have to be. My baby was monitored twice daily to watch for any signs of distress. She did show signs of distress at 33 weeks gestation. My placenta was abrupting and I had to have an emergency c-section.

Have they done ultrasounds to check for why or where your water broke?

I don't mean to alarm you, but I'm concerned about the care you are being given.

When I was around the same stage as you I was also told that I had low fluid. They began to watch me closer I had more ultrasounds and a biophysio profile. I was going to school, working full time and a mommy and a wife. I was not put on bed rest but they suggested I slow down and drink more fluids. It seemed to help the next US showed that it had increased significantly.
I would reccomend you take in more fluids and try to slow down a bit when you can. Don't stress out too much, easier said then done I know.... but remember if you're levels were dangerously low they would take immediate action.
try coconut water, its supposed to be good for replenishing fluid.

I also had low fluid. I drank alot of water and was told by my mid wife to soak in the tub every day for 30 minutes. Make sure the water is chest high. There really is not any evidence that soaking helps but, my levels came back up. It can't hurt to try it. Good luck.