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Original poster

Polyhydramnios?

15 replies

mrsshears · 03/05/2012 16:12

I have seen my midwife this afternoon and have been measured 40cm (im 35 weeks) the midwife mentioned a large baby, which was not unexpected as my other 2 were big babies but also the possibility of polyhydramnios which i stupidly googled and am now really worried Sad
I have a scan next tuesday but in the meantime if anyone has any positive stories related to this i would be really greatful to hear them.

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MonsterMunchRoastBeef · 03/05/2012 16:51

This is a really scary condition to google! My midwife was worried about the same thing a week ago. I was measuring 4 weeks ahead and had a very wibbly wobbly belly. I was told to head to the hospital for an immediate scan - googled it on the bus. BIG mistake! It turned out to be nothing. Baby if anything is measuing a little small. Fluid levels are average. At 4ft 11in the sonographer said I should be measuring 'ahead' and the wibbly wobbly belly went in 24 hours - I blame it on the 2 bottles of mineral water I drank at dinner the night before! Sonographer blamed it on this being a second pregnancy - lovely. I really hope your scan shows it is nothing too. Hopefully someone will come along and give you a positive story of what happened if they did have it. All the very best.

Original poster
mrsshears · 03/05/2012 16:59

Thanks monster

OP posts:
flipflopson5thavenue · 03/05/2012 17:31

I measured 33cms at 26 weeks a fortnight ago and MW sent me for a growth scan. She told me not to worry - she said she has to do it as a matter of course whenever women measure more than 3 cms over their dates. She said she'd be rich if she'd had a penny for every woman she measured over. Plus, those paper tape measures can hardly be the most accurately calibrated tools in the world...!

Also, remember that the MW can't diagnose polyhydramnios just from measuring your tummy so don't fret yet.

At my growth scan the sonographer said the baby has exceptionally long legs - but they don't worry about that! - but that isn't what would make me measure big. She said there was a little bit more fluid than they'd expect to see but not a massive amount. Remember that there has to be an average, which means lots of women will be above, and below it. She really wasn't too worried but had sent me for a glucose tolerance test to be on safe side as elevated fluid can be symptom of gestational diabetes.

Don't worry about it - am sure it will be fine, all women are different and they just need an average to trigger tests - they don't expect everyone to measure the same and have the same amount of fluid throughout the pregnancy.

Good luck.

Catsycat · 03/05/2012 17:51

A friend of mine had this in 2 of her 3 pgs. She got very big, couldn't close her legs for the last several weeks of the pgs, and found it quite uncomfortable. I believe she had extra checks done antenatally to see everything was OK. She tried for a vaginal birth first time, but had to labour in an OT as far as I remember, and the baby was ultimately distressed, so she had an EMCS. The second baby she had an ELCS. She had absolutely healthy babies, one was quite big, the other pretty normal sized, and though she lost more blood at the deliveries than is usual (not sure if it counted as haemorrhaging) she was treated quickly and effectively and was fine afterwards.

I hope your scan goes well, and that it is not an issue for you. Hopefully the mw / consultant can put the risks in perspective for you if it does turn out you have it.

MyBigFatWedding · 03/05/2012 17:56

I had it. It turned out to be nothing and everything was ok.

HaggisNeepsTatties · 03/05/2012 18:42

Glad everything is ok!

mumtoAG · 03/05/2012 19:04

I was diagnosed with polyhydromnious at about 36 weeks. Initially the registrar whom I saw painted a bit of a bleak picture about it (suggesting I should have someone with me at all times, and be within 10 minutes drtive of the hospital), but then I saw a consultant and he was far more chilled out and suggested I hadn't need to do anything the registrar had said. In the majority of cases PH is caused for unknown reasons and has no detrimental affect on the baby or you. Yes there are cases where it's serious but from what I could understand this is the exception.

The biggest impact it had for me was that I wasn't allowed to have a water birth, and the biggest impact for my daughter was they put a tube in her throat when she was first born to make sure that there wasn't any problem with the oesophagus, which there wasn't. (Apparently a babies lack of swallowing can be a reason for too much fluid.)
The biggest impact for the midwife was she got pretty drenched when my waters broke!

Best of luck with the scan , it will most probably be fine, and even if it is PH, it isn't all the doom and gloom that the internet seems to think it is. (I too freaked myself out by looking it up, but the consultant chilled me out!)

Best of luck

DowagersHump · 03/05/2012 19:10

I had over 2 litres of fluid. I had to have a cs because the baby wouldn't engage, he just bobbed away. Apart from that, everything was fine, as is he :)

It is the worst condition to google!

Oh, and the baby was actually quite small - under 7lbs, despite dire predictions

Original poster
mrsshears · 03/05/2012 19:40

Thank you so much everyone, you have really put my mind at rest.
I have called the day unit tonight and they have said i can go in tomorrow rather than worry until tuesday, the midwife i spoke to said from the information i had given her she wasn't overly concerned.

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DowagersHump · 03/05/2012 21:13

They will keep scanning you to measure the 'pools' of liquid. They wouldn't let me out of hospital from 38.5 weeks - I was given a choice of staying in until I went into labour or having an elcs so I chose the latter. But I did have a ridiculous amount of fluid.

On the upside, I got a seat any time I got onto a tube so there's upsides :o

MyBigFatWedding · 04/05/2012 11:00

My Ds also got the tube down his throat thing as soon as he was born to check that there was no blockage. Apparently they swallow the amniotic fluid and pee it out again - so if there is an excess if fluid it may mean that there is a blockage. There are other possible causes - which I am sure you have googled about.

I had weekly scans to check my cervix as they thought I may go into labour prematurely as I was so huge (which I did at 35 weeks)

They also gave me a steriod injection at 29 weeks to help develop the lungs to decrease the need for intervention for premature birth.

In the end everything was ok. It turned out to be just one of those things. But it did suck all the joy out of the pregnancy.

But very happy to have a lovely healthy child.

Will be thinking about you and hoping you have the same story to tell in a few years time.

MrsHoarder · 04/05/2012 11:28

I have this: only noticed at a scan got given a couple of blood tests (for infections and diabetes) and they checked the baby's stomach measurements to see if that was a reason. It seems to be one of those things though.

None of the midwives or doctors in the hospital seemed overly concerned: just suggested I keep a phone to hand when home alone. I was told to go straight to hospital if my waters break before I am in established labour but that's all.

Original poster
mrsshears · 04/05/2012 13:39

we have just got back and i don't have it!!!
I'm really relieved,my highest measurement was 7 and anything over 10 is classed as abnormal according to the dr and sonographer,it just looks like a large baby,currently about 7 and a half pounds at just under 36 weeks.
Thanks so much for all your posts,you all really helped put my mind at rest x

OP posts:
DowagersHump · 04/05/2012 18:23

Oh hurrah! What a relief :) It's not the end of the world but it is fairly stressful!

Catsycat · 04/05/2012 20:04

Glad you don't have it mrsshears, nice not to have complications you don't need. Enjoy the rest of your pg now!

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