Polyhydramnios - in hospital from 36 weeks

[Monket]

I was diagnosed this week (at 32 weeks) with polyhydroamnios (excess amniotic fluid) and during the FMU scan to investigate further (luckily all seems fine albeit big baby, 93rd centile) the consultant mentioned that if baby isn’t head down at my growth scan at 36+5, they might want me to stay in in case my waters break at home and I have a cord prolapse.

Hopefully this is unlikely, but I was wondering whether anyone had had this happen to them and what I need to consider? Thanks!

like you I had polyhydraminos aswell as GD in my 4th pregnancy with my son, so went into hospital for a planned induction of labour due to the risk of cord prolapse (was absolutely petrified over it all) so went into hospital exactly 37+1weeks & my son wasn't born until 37+5! 😂 was a long draining waiting game 🙄 & ended up on hormone drip to help kick start labour but obviously was all worth the wait in the end 🥰 any questions just ask awayyy! x

I had undiagnosed polyhydromnious. How are your babies movements and have you got any itching ?

Yes, happened to me with DS2. He was also a transverse lie so was on bed rest in hospital until 38 weeks, when I had a C section.

He was absolutely fine. That was 25 years ago, he's now a strapping 6'2" handsome young man (I might be biased!).

If you do have polyhydramnios and your baby is not head down, hospital is the best place to be.

Good luck!

I had to be induced as well. Once they broke my waters I was so much more comfortable. If baby isn't head down you would probably be better off in hospital.

Take a spare nightie for labour, I was soaked and that little pampers mat they put down was no good. There was a waterfall off the sides of the bed.

I was induced at nearly 37 weeks and I was falling into a lovely sleep on the hospital bed and pop, and the amount of fluid was mental, it really is like a water fall. All was fine though, he was born about 12 hours after !

Thanks - this will be my third baby. First one EMCS due to meconium when they broke my waters, second was an assisted VBAC that ended in bad tearing and a 4.9kg baby… but no GD diagnosed so far in any of the pregnancies. I’m planning an ELCS this time but no date set yet.

Suddenly panicking that I have a lot less time than I thought and we still haven’t got the house organised - some quite major reorganisation required before we’re ready and the clock suddenly seems to be ticking!

Baby is moving very nicely, and I have had super itchy sides of my bump for months but MW couldn’t care less frankly, as it wasn’t on my hands/feet, just said to use aqueous cream!

Both the other births started naturally at 41+2 or +5 so a baby at 37-38 weeks seems very early to me, and I’m feeling extremely underprepared suddenly!! As well as worried about risks to both our health obviously.

Ask about tests for obstetric cholestasis. Keep an eye on any change in movements. More or less.

You don't want to risk a cord prolapse OP. It's not worth it.

No, no, of course not - would have to stay in, of course. I just didn’t see this coming, despite the usual “oh yes, anything could happen!” that I’ve said so many times in the last 7 months!

Oh for goodness sake, and now I’ve had a read of the NHS website and the itching IS worse at night (am regularly woken by it once a night) and rather distressing. I’ll have to raise it with them too. Midwife was not fussed, like I say.

Doesn't matter if midwife isn't fussed. This is your baby and they aren't all very on things they should be. If it was midwife one I would have lost my baby. But midwife two was better.

Agreed… okay, well it sounds like the transverse lie can happen… can I ask if any of you had mild / moderate/ severe polyhydroamnios? As I guess that impacts the likelihood baby won’t yet have settled into position in 3 weeks.

I had this with my ds4. Was measuring 52 weeks pregnant at my 34 week appointment and then my waters broke at 35+1 and I measured 39 weeks pregnant after that. I stayed in hospital and had an elective c-section at 35+3 because he wasn't head down. I carried on gushing water and there was still loads left in my womb after he was born. He weighed 7lb 2oz.

Exactly the same with my son . Literally swimming around.ELCS at 38 weeks and now a 24 year old brilliant human being 😊

Cannot remember the measurements but when I had the ELCS the fluid soaked the operating theatre!

I was told my baby would be 10lbs. He was two weeks early and under 7lbs.

Ahaha. 52 weeks pregnant, oh my!

My measurements were moderate on the growth scan, and then down I think to mild once the consultant performed the scan, so hopefully not toooo bad.

Mine was severe, I looked like a Whale. DS2 was literally bobbing around in a swimming pool! He weighed 10lbs at birth but a lot of that was fluid retention. He dropped to just over 8lbs in a couple of days.

He got dreadful hiccups in the last few weeks of pregnancy - I don't know if that was related but it drove me mad. Every time I was nodding off he would start hiccupping.

I had mild, almost moderate. I wasn't concerned about a cord prolapse, my baby had been head down and engaged for a while and a scan showed the cord well out the way. I didn't have an unstable lie, and the baby was never anything but head down. On that basis I declined induction, ARM, etc, the docs weren't happy but I agreed to come straight in when waters broke and to check for any cord presentation once that happened, and if so call an ambulance. In the end I went 10 days late, a lot of waters but no cord - ended up in a CS as Mec in waters and they didn't like the heart rate on the monitor during contractions and labour wasn't progressing fast enough. I just got tired of the pressure to CS. Totally healthy baby.

I think a lot of the risks of prolapse depend on individual factors, I felt comfortable that cord prolapse was v unlikely in my case but I did a lot of reading around the topic to inform my decision and made a plan I felt happy with.

Also at 32 weeks I would insist on another scan in a few weeks time to see if the level of waters had changed.

Thanks, helpful comments. I’ve got a scan in 2 weeks and another in 4 weeks - the 36+5 week date when we’ll check baby is engaged. He did a full and very rapid 180 flip from breech to head down DURING the scan I had at 31+6, but it’s still early days.

Hi All. I’m 29+1 with GD and today been prescribed metaformin as my amniotic fluid level is not reducing and instead gone up to 37cm!!! I’m petrified. Has anyone had this level of poly and was all ok? Thank you x