Low amniotic fluid and induction advice,

[tiffs]

Hi,

I was hoping to get a little bit of advice.

Im 34 weeks pregnant and had to go for a growth scan yesterday as baby is measuring small for dates. All seemed ok with the baby :) at the scan however they did say that the amniotic fluid around baby was at the lowest level of 8.1 and that i should go back in 3 weeks for a repeat scan, where if nothing has changed then we need to discuss being induced.

Im now worrying about having low fluid but also about being induced. I have heard that being induced can be very painful and drag for a long time and this was something that I have always said I would like to avoid. Im also worrying that the low fluid will affect my baby.

I would love to here other people experiences and what i should expect from being induced.

thanks in advance xx

Hi,

A friend of mine had low fluid; they were going to induce her at term though she went into labour spontaneously the day before. For her, it was just 'one of those things' - no particular reason why.

I think she was told to drink lots of fluids, especially water, as this can increase fluid volume. Were you given any advice? Any possible explanations for low fluid? It sounds like you feel a bit cast adrift - could you call your midwife/hospital to talk the situation through with anyone. 3 weeks is a long time to wait if you're worrying.

I was induced 3 times, and fortunately had 3 straightforward deliveries. Use this time now to read up about induction (and find out your hospital's protocol) so that you are in more of an empowered position should you need to be. Also, acupuncture can be great for getting your body revved up.

got to go now - but hope all goes well.

Hi Rosebud

Thank you so much for your response!
I guess I do feel a little cast adrift and also think think 3 weeks is a long time before being checked again.

I have just rang the dr and made an extra midwife appointment for thursday so hopefully she can discuss things in more details with me!

They did not give me any explanation just said that it was on the lowest level and asked if i had noticed a leak, which as far as i know i have not. We were that last appointment and I felt a little bit rushed to be honest.

I will look into induction now ..... and hopefully get some more answers on thursday with the midwife!!!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/1087631-advice-needed

Drink lots of water, the more you drink the more fluid can be produced.

Baby can survive with no fluid at all. It can hinder lung development as baby 'breathes' the fluid in and out to help develop the lungs, but at 34 weeks lung development is pretty much complete. Baby can also get sqaushed limbs if fluid is very low, but that's often solved through physio and I'm not sure yours would be considered low enough for that to happen. The fluid obviously also helps to protect baby, but that isn't really likely to be a problem.

Lots of ladies find they have low fluid to then find it's completely normal at the next scan.

I had similar with DS2, I had low fluid from 30 weeks. He was born by elective section at 38 weeks perfectly fine, his skin was a bit leathery dueto low fluid but they just kept a close eye on me:)

You can also buy 'amniopads' (try Google or someone else might know) that you wear like sanitary towels and that detect if any, ahem, leakages are amniotic fluid.

good luck for Thursday. Write down a list of questions to go armed with.