Low amniotic fluid :(

[nflores77]

MOD that is great news... Congrats on rising numbers.

Question: When and Why would they check your levels? I'm 25 weeks and have not been checked on levels that I know of ... do they check levels via U/S? If that's the case the last time I had an u/s was @ 18 weeks.

 

[mod19]

MOD that is great news... Congrats on rising numbers.

Question: When and Why would they check your levels? I'm 25 weeks and have not been checked on levels that I know of ... do they check levels via U/S? If that's the case the last time I had an u/s was @ 18 weeks.

At my 20 week scan they couldn't get all the measurements they needed cuz she was facing away from us, so at my 24 week appt they did another scan to get the rest and that's when they noticed my levels were on the low end (9cm) so they rescaned me at my 28 week appt to monitor them.

I've had quite a few scans so far due to previous problems. I've only been to 1 appt so far that didn't include a scan.

 

[Amythyst]

That is great news! I'm so glad! I won't know if my levels have gone back up until Wednesday of next week. They didn't offer me IV fluids or anything .... just told me to drink drink drink. I've been drowning in water the past 3 days and don't see how I could possibly drink MORE. Ugh... so frustrating.

 

[ashleypauline]

A lot depends on babys positioning also! They told me one day I had 6.5cm of fluid then a day later (after no intense water drinking or anything) they were up to 14cm

 

[mod19]

Wow I didn't realize her positioning would matter. Either way I'm so happy. I was worried they would take her early and I definitely didn't want that.

Amythyst they gave me fluids because I was contracting and they wanted to know if it was because I was dehydrated or if something else was causing it. Turns out I was dehydrated because they stopped. But like you, I don't see how I could have been because I drink a ridiculous amount of water.

 

[Amythyst]

Gotchya.

I do know that plain water alone isn't enough to keep you hydrated unless it has electrolytes in it (in some people). I have GD, so I can't drink anything sugary and I really hate fake sugar drinks... so I may look for some other electrolyte options. I think I still have some powdered electrolyte stuff in my pantry that I had to use when my husband had surgery a few years ago...I may look at that to put in my water.

I was also wondering about the positioning thing... cause they measure 4 corners of your uterus to get the reading and then take an average. When they did mine, and I saw it on the screen, the left side had really good pockets and the right side didn't really show anything which is why the number was so low. But when the doctor reviewed everything he was like oh the baby has plenty of fluid you're fine... so I'm wondering if the baby just wasn't giving them a good view of the right side of my uterus.

But I'm glad your contractions stopped! 28 weeks is a little early for that stuff! But I would look into making sure you're getting enough electrolytes and not just "water". That's really the key to keeping us hydrated.

 

[mod19]

Well I don't know if I have gd yet or not. Haven't gotten the results back yet, but I also hate sugary things. I don't mind the fake sugar though. I have been drinking alkalized water though, so I'm not sure if that's helping or not. It does have electrolytes in it and just tastes like plain water. It's more expensive obviously, but things like Gatorade make me feel sick.

Also, they measured all my pockets and added them up to get their final number for me. But if baby is sprawled out I could definitely see how it would make it seem like there's less fluid than there really is.

 

[Dini]

Congrats mod! I'm so very happy for you!!

 

[Amythyst]

Oh, well you're better than I am apparently... what is Alkalized water? I don't think I've ever heard of it.

 

[mod19]

It's water that's put through this big ol process to get more oxygen into it as well as added electrolytes. I've been drinking Essentia, but I also know that alka pure and penta make it as well. Generally you have to get it at a health foods store. I think the ph in essentia is 9.5.

 

[Amythyst]

Yay, my fluid levels went back up! I was back at 11 today from 5 last week. I made sure to drink some cold ice water before the ultra sound this time and he was moving all around and we saw him opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue. She even took a 3D picture of his face. However, to me, this picture is just creepy. His face is sort of smooshed against the placenta and everything looks all droopy. I certainly hope that's not what he looks like!

BP is good... sugars are good... I had that swab thing today, so will know if I have that weird bacteria living in my groin in a few days I guess. My OB also checked my cervix and wanted to make sure my fluids weren't leaking (the OB appointment was before my MFM appointment, so we didn't know my levels had gone back up yet).

So....... now we wait. Oye... I want this baby out!

 

[mod19]

So happy your fluids went up too! Ugh it's so stressful isn't it? I have a check up on Friday to see if things are still ok. Hoping they do another ultrasound to make sure all is still well in there. If they don't I think I'm going to push for one.

 

[ttcmoon]

I went to L&D on my 25 wk 6 days as I was having frequent BH. They did ultrasound and found my fluid is low at 8.4! I got IV and doctor said drinking more water may not help as mine looks to be placenta issue
I already drink 5l per day. A junior doctor said baby may go into distress etc, which scared me to death. We went again after a week on 26 wk 5 days and my fluid was 9.5-10. Doctor still dint look happy as this is lowish.
I will go after 15 days again. It is so nerve wrecking!

 

[Amythyst]

Yes, it is very stressful. I have read and been told that if you have fluid issues in 1st or 2nd trimester that it can be distressful to the baby but at least you know in advance! Those numbers don't really sound terribly low to me though... mine went down to a 5 and that scared them to death. I drink water all day long... I have 5 24 and 32 oz water bottles in my house and as soon as I empty them all, I'm filling them up again. I also read somewhere that we're supposed to drink at least half our body weight in fluids a day. I'm a BIG girl, so half my body weight is a lot of fricken water!

Also make sure you're getting enough electrolytes. Good luck at your next check!

 

[aknqtpie]

I must say, since reading this post, I am now terrified that I am not getting enough water.. Time to chug!

 

[mod19]

Yeah 10 is better than what it could be! I started out at 9 and they weren't too concerned yet, but when I dropped to 7 is when they freaked out a bit. I hope your issue clears itself up.

My appt got rescheduled due to having the flu so I won't know till Tuesday now if my levels stayed up or not.

 

[ttcmoon]

What do you girls take to get sufficient electrolytes? Are the powders safe during pregnancy? I still vomit atleast once a day. So I suspect may be I am just drinking water like mad and not getting proper electrolytes.
I started drinking raw coconut water directly from coconut. Hope it helps!

 

[Amythyst]

Yea I heard coconut water was good. Mod was talking about some electrolyte infused water she drinks a page or so back. I use pills called "Salt Stick" pills which are just electrolytes in a capsule. Don't want to have to buy bottled water and I don't like the powders and artificially flavored stuff.

Course, if you're eating foods with all the right stuff in it and taking your prenatal vitamins; drinking plenty of water should be sufficient for most people too.

 

[mod19]

Yeah alkaline water has electrolytes in it. Otherwise powders I'm sure are fine as ling as they're not too sugary.

 

[mod19]

Well they've dropped back down to 7 again. Back to the high risk dr I go. This is so frustrating. I wish I knew why it was back down. I just don't understand.