Paranoid?! To go to the hospital or not...

[discohospital]

I’m a bit nervous.

I saw my OB 4 days ago for my monthly check up & mentioned that I had watery discharge for a week. He said “That’s not good. It could be an amniotic leak”. He examined me and I didn’t appear to be leaking. He also used a test strip and the color showed it was not amniotic fluid. Later I realized I’d just done a urine test a few minutes prior, so maybe that could affect the strip results. He didn't do an ultrasound because there was no indication of a leak.

Still, I left feeling good.

However…the same morning of my appointment I had pain in my lower belly. I didn’t think much of it because I’d had a large glass of milk and dairy occasionally causes me significant discomfort, plus I know we get hurty as we stretch.

That said, it’s been 4 days and my lower belly still hurts. Not as much as it did, but to make me even more worried

- I still have water-like discharge. Not enough to fill a panty-liner, but when I get out of bed there are blotches of wet in my underwear. Most of the day I feel pretty moist, though not drenched. I've had more discharge that this and not worried because it was white-ish, so I thought it was normal (luekhorrea), but this stuff is literally like water.

- I feel like my belly has been shrinking for about a week. DH (who is far more level-headed than I am at this point) says that it is NOT smaller, but has definitely moved upwards.

- I also feel like he’s been moving less, but I think maybe I’m just feeling it less because he’s kicking inward. When I use my Doppler his heartbeat is always fine and I can actually hear him moving around. At my appointment I couldn't feel him move at all, but my OB could and commented that he was very, very active. Everyone who examines me says the same, so that's very reassuring.

- I’ve had a couple of moments of mild nausea in those 4 days. I haven’t had any nausea since 14-15 weeks and I’m 23 weeks today. I probably wouldn't worry if it weren't for these other things happening.

I’m hoping that:
-The baby just moved up because he's growing normally -- and that caused a stretching/pulling of my ligaments and that’s the reason my lower belly hurts.

-The watery discharge is just urine. It doesn't smell like it, but I drink LOTS of water, so...

I tried to see my OB yesterday, but his office was closed for some reason. I’m going to try to se him today, but if his office is still closed I guess I’m going to have to bite the bullet and go to the hospital. I hate, hate, hate to over-react and was just in the hospital a few weeks ago because of back pain that paralyzed me, and the diagnosis was "your back just hurts".

*sigh*

I'm sorry for the long post. I'm at work (I work nights) so I had nobody to talk to.
Thanks, ladies.

 

[Letsgo]

Oh that's a scary place to be in, especially if you have time on your hands at work to think it over. I can only suggest to listen to your body and get at least someone from your docs office to talk to you.

The head nurse at my practice advised me to come in for an exam based on my complaints (stupid yeast infection that they wanted to confirm before writing a script). If the offices are closed someone should at least be checking calls and be able to get back to you with some direction. They should be used to hearing from scared moms.

Did the doc check your cervix during your exam? I only ask because I too have had a fair amount of discharge pretty much all second tri (enough to need to change a liner half way through the day else it leaks a bit out the sides--ew) and the doc checked my cervix straight away. All was fine in that area. I have had pains for the past week in my abdomen that feel more like a pulled muscle than anything. Really affected when I twist around a little bit. Not awful enough to try to get in before my regular appt on Friday, but if I had other issues on top of it I'd probably be where you are, wondering.

Do what you need to get assurance. It does you and your family no good to have you worried. I bet most women go through spots like this. Overreacting can be better than under, right? Good luck to you and baby.

 

[discohospital]

He did check my cervix and it was closed, didn't appear to be leaking etc. That's why I left feeling good about everything.

Thank you for sharing; it's re-assuring to know that everything is well with you and your discharge was not a serious issue. I don't have enough to fill a liner, I think it's just the consistency that worried me since the ob mentioned leaking. It wasn't something I worried about beforehand!

I'm certainly going to see someone today, I just hope by OB's office isn't closed again. When I was there Monday they said their building recently had a flood, so perhaps they closed ship for a day to do repairs. Still, a recorded message explaining when they'll be back would've been good!

Failing that, hospital it is. I'd just like them to check again that there is no leak, that I have no infections that are causing the pain and that the baby has enough amniotic fluid. I hope they'll do all of those things for me.

I'm usually very reluctant to see doctors or even take medication unless I feel it's serious enough, but with the pregnancy I have been calling doctors for ANYTHING that seems off because it's not just me anymore. I don't want to be that patient, but I guess it's either be over-cautious or run the risk of regretting it later?

Best of luck to you as well, hon!

 

[clara123]

I had leaky waters with my second, was constantly wet and would occasionally get a big gush like id wet myself (but was def not wee as I didn't need a wee and it wasn't like wee). I would get it checked just to feel assured they will probably ask you to wear a sanitary towel for a few hours before you go to collect any fluid which they can test. I'm sure you're fine but getting checked will help you to stop worrying xx

 

[Eline]

If you are worried, I'd definitely give your midwife a call. An extra check-up can't hurt. You could also buy some amniotic fluid ph test strips in your pharmacy to keep an eye on things yourself.

 

[discohospital]

We unfortunately don't have midwives here as part of our regular care. I think one can be hired privately, but it's generally not covered by health insurance. I wish it were!!

I looked into those strips but read very mixed reviews. Some people stated it read their urine as being the same ph level as amniotic fluid when nothing was actually wrong. Others got negative tests and it turned out they were in fact leaking amniotic fluid. So confusing!
A few people mentioned Nitrazine strips being used in hospitals which I suppose are different from standard PH strips...but it's all a bit overwhelming and I just don't know

I will ask my doctor about them, though. I wouldn't mind using them vs. not using them, anyway.

 

[dom85]

Definitely give them a call back if you're not happy and are feeling nervous.

My friend had very watery discharge like you and she mentioned it to the doc and she tested positive for Group B Strep, I didn't realise it was a symptom but might be worth asking about.

 

[designermama]

I haven't read the other replies so I do not know if it has been said, but you could try calling the on call doctor so that you can speak to someone ASAP.
Also, discharge can get pretty thin and watery/milky and if you aren't filling a liner or hardly seeing anything, I wouldn't be too worried. I change my liner twice a day because of discharge :/ So be happy for that!
But if you are so worried, it would not hurt to keep calling and let the doctor know everything. Especially if the pain is terrible.

 

[discohospital]

Just an update: I was able to see my OB this afternoon. I'm so happy I didn't have to go to the hospital; it's always such an ordeal.

He believes it's just round ligament pain.

He checked my cervix, did a urine test for infection, used a nitrazine strip to check for an amniotic fluid leak and performed an ultrasound.

Everything looks fine! No leak, no infection, and my little guy has plenty of fluid.

Now for some warm baths to see if that helps the ligaments!

thank you ladies for sharing your experiences, they did help calm me in the time I waited to be seen

 

[Eline]

I'm glad everything is ok! It's a good thing you went to see your doc and had a thourough checkup.

 

[Perplexed]

I'm glad you got checked and that everything is okay