Polyhydramnios - how serious and what does it mean?

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

I've looked at some threads on here but am trying not to google...

Am 34 weeks, just been for a growth scan, baby just over 6lbs they think and have AF levels of 26 so they've said it is polyhydramnios. They were quizzing me about blood sugar which they've now told me to monitor. I have another growth scan and consultant appt in 2 weeks but have typically scared myself shitless reading threads on here.

Does anyone know what this is likely to mean as far as induction/delivery etc is concerned?

I was polyhydramnious in my last pregnancy, but only just. I had to have a GTT which was came back fine and they monitored the baby and did growth scans. I was told to expect to go into labour at anytime, but that they wouldn't induce as long as it wasn't affecting me or the baby, apparently it can affect your breathing due to the pressure.
As it was my waters broke at 38 weeks, and they gushed and gushed.
My advice would be to buy many more maternity pads, I went through two packs in 3 hours and to get loads of cheap leggings or joggers. My waters broke 12 hours before proper contractions started and I went through all the PJ's I had got ready for afterwards.

Thanks.

I had a GTT back at 28 weeks which was fine but it looks like things have changed since then. Hopefully that means that the GD is the cause of it and not anything more sinister.

They haven't said much else about anything though but I keep reading about women being told to stay on all fours and call 999 when waters break. I was induced with DD so am nervous about spontaneity anyway, never mind spontaneity that requires special measures.

I had it as well, and absolutely agree with notso, when my waters broke I also went through every pair of leggings; maternity pads etc! Oterhwise all fin. My dd was thought to be "quite large" on the scan, but that was inaccurate, and she was born at medium size (so the scans canbe inaccurate on this)
Good luck, stay away from googling, i never did as my consultant mentioned it so lightly i didnt think it was an issue, and i am glad i never read stories around it ....

I had polyhydramnious too and went into labour at 38+1, my GTT was also fine. The only issue it really caused for me was that my waters didn't break themselves so they took me to theatre to break them, as there is a very slight risk of the cord coming first, so they prepped me for an EMCS just in case. Luckily baby's head then engaged so I returned to the delivery suite for a vaginal birth. I don't want to alarm you by telling you this but no-one told me beforehand and it panicked me somewhat as I had a bit of a phobia about a CS anyway.

Also would echo what the other posters have said about heaps of fluid, I remember lying in theatre thinking they were never going to stop coming out but apparently more were in another pocket behind DS as when I pushed him out, they came out with a gush and completely soaked the MW

And as iwantavuvezela said, I think the fluid throws off the scanning accuracy, I had a scan the day before and they estimated him at 9-10lbs, whereas he was only 7lbs 1oz.

i was diagnosed 2 days before i delivered which was 10 days before due date. I was scanned because i was trickling fluid and they kept me in for the day. finished with a scan and decided it wasn't my waters leaking because i had polyhydromnious and they would expect to see reduced waters. Anyway, GTT was fine earlier in preganancy, no other problems and the diagnosed 'excessive vaginal discharge' continued and went from pink to brown and i ended up being induced after baby got distressed. ho hum, seems my waters were leaking after all!

I had it in one twin and when they popped his waters they had to stand on sheets as there was so much it was dangerous. lol. It did effect my baby but after 3 days in scbu he was well enough to come to me and the other twin.

Be aware that the scans are not always very accurate on this. I was diagnosed with this in my 2nd pregnancy, had GTTs which were negative etc. BUT I wasn't any bigger than with previous pregnancy and the midwives couldn't feel any extra water on palpation. When DC was born, there wasn't loads of water at all. Are you bigger than usual? What do the midwives say? I had DC at home against hospital advice but I knew & so did the community midwives that it was the hospital scan that was wrong!

I had polyhydraminos with dd. Had GTT which was clear and a detailed scan as it can be an indicator of abnormalities, they checked for cleft lip and palette. Dd in fact has autism so maybe it was an early warning who knows? They ruptured at term plus 3 and there was a huge amount I went to the hospital sat on a pile of folded bath towels and they were sodden. Once labour actually started (was eventually induced) it was discovered I had a double sac and so had even more water once the second sac was ruptured but with the the waters all gone it was a straight forward labour and birth.

Forgot to update this. Had another scan on Weds and level has dropped to 13. No explanation, no comment from the consultant. My HCPs are officially useless. When I asked the mw I saw yesterday she said it was very common for that to happen and nothing to worry about.

Still a bit worried about indicators of problems though.