Low amniotic fluid

[kelseybean]

I wondered if anyone who has had low amniotic fluid could post about their experiences with it...(what the doctor did, when you delivered, etc...) Someone has told me they were told to drink a lot of water...does this help?

After dealing with horribly insulin-dependent GD (to the point I am on three kinds of insulin, 300+ units of one a day, high potency of another...) and blood pressure problems, this was the last thing I thought I would hear.

Thanks to anyone who can help!

[TraceyM]

I had low amniotic fluid with dd. But, my story is a bit extreme, so don't get paranoid.

I was diagnosed w/ low fluid during an u/s at 32 weeks. The doc said to drink lots of water and take it easy. I was scheduled to come back a couple days later for a re-check, but the next day the baby wasn't moving, so I went back. I was admitted right away because there was NO fluid around the baby. They also discovered I had an abruption (placenta pulling away from the uterus wall). They don't know if the abruption caused the fluid loss or the fluid loss caused the abruption though. I was in the hospital on bed rest for two weeks with u/s every day, sometimes two or three times a day, to monitor the baby and the abruption. It never got any worse, but my fluid levels only went up slightly. Normal AFI (amniotic fluid index) is around 8 I think and the highest mine got was 3. So I was very low. I was delived by c/s at 34 weeks. DD was fine and only had to stay in the NICU for a week.

Like I said, my story is pretty extreme, so don't get scared. Just pay close attention to baby's movements and do your kick counts. If you notice baby's not moving as much and doesn't start up again after eating/drinking something sugary and lying down on your left side, call your doc and let them know. And definately up your water intake, everything I've read says that does help. Good luck, I hope everything turns out fine! :)

[kelseybean]

Like I said, my story is pretty extreme, so don't get scared. Just pay close attention to baby's movements and do your kick counts. If you notice baby's not moving as much and doesn't start up again after eating/drinking something sugary and lying down on your left side, call your doc and let them know. And definately up your water intake, everything I've read says that does help. Good luck, I hope everything turns out fine! :)

Thanks. I went to the hospital today because I hadn't felt movement since late Friday afternoon. I had tried every trick I could think of and he just wasn't going to cooperate. They couldn't hear him with a NST, so they pulled in an u/s machine, and released me after a couple of hours.

I'm glad everything turned out okay with your DD - sounded like a very scary situation!

[hrnewbie]

Low AFIs are common with GD, trust me. GD makes the placenta age faster and that interrupts the AF levels.

I was insulin dependent with both of my pregnancies. With my first son I went in for the NSTs and at 38 weeks they said I had low fluid and induced me. Everything was fine.

This time, however, was much more severe. I did insulin from about 7 weeks through the whole pregnancy. By the end I was totally insulin resistant. I was taking close to 500 units each day of 2 different kinds of insulin. At 29 weeks I went in for an u/s and they said I had low fluid. It measured about 5 so the doc did a NST and they had me drink a lot of water. It replenished but I never was above a 10 from that point on. For the rest of my pregnancy I had NSTs twice a week and ended up seeing a perinatologist in addition to my OB/GYN. Towards the end, as my insulin resistance really hit it's peak, my fluid got even worse.

At 35w I went in for a visit and they said I had very low fluid again. My perinatologist really freaked me out. I had an amnio and c/s scheduled for 37 weeks. I saw him at 35w3d or thereabout. He said if I didn't have the amnio scheduled he would have induced me there and then. That same night I had decreased fetal movements and ended up going to L&D. My sugars had dropped and nothing I ate seemed to bring them back up. I had ice cream, a cheeseburger, crackers, etc. but nothing helped and he wouldn't move. Of course, I got to L&D and they did the NST (fluid was still low) and he was fine. But I was freaked. Three days later I went in for my next NST and I had no fluid at all. I had a c-section that afternoon.

We also suffered from some things in addition to the GD so that made it worse. My baby was small but really healthy. Born at 36w he weighed just over 4 pounds but didn't spend any time in NICU. He came home with me. And 8 weeks later he's a horse. :D

Good luck with everything. And if you need anything or just an ear, feel free to email me. I've been there and I know how lonely it feels. ((HUGS))

[kelseybean]

Low AFIs are common with GD, trust me. GD makes the placenta age faster and that interrupts the AF levels.
This time, however, was much more severe. I did insulin from about 7 weeks through the whole pregnancy. By the end I was totally insulin resistant. I was taking close to 500 units each day of 2 different kinds of insulin. At 29 weeks I went in for an u/s and they said I had low fluid. It measured about 5 so the doc did a NST and they had me drink a lot of water. It replenished but I never was above a 10 from that point on. For the rest of my pregnancy I had NSTs twice a week and ended up seeing a perinatologist in addition to my OB/GYN. Towards the end, as my insulin resistance really hit it's peak, my fluid got even worse.

At 35w I went in for a visit and they said I had very low fluid again. My perinatologist really freaked me out. I had an amnio and c/s scheduled for 37 weeks. I saw him at 35w3d or thereabout. He said if I didn't have the amnio scheduled he would have induced me there and then. That same night I had decreased fetal movements and ended up going to L&D. My sugars had dropped and nothing I ate seemed to bring them back up. I had ice cream, a cheeseburger, crackers, etc. but nothing helped and he wouldn't move. Of course, I got to L&D and they did the NST (fluid was still low) and he was fine. But I was freaked. Three days later I went in for my next NST and I had no fluid at all. I had a c-section that afternoon.

We also suffered from some things in addition to the GD so that made it worse. My baby was small but really healthy. Born at 36w he weighed just over 4 pounds but didn't spend any time in NICU. He came home with me. And 8 weeks later he's a horse. :D

Good luck with everything. And if you need anything or just an ear, feel free to email me. I've been there and I know how lonely it feels. ((HUGS))

It sounds like our GD was pretty similar. I figured out I had it this time at 17 weeks (never had it with the other kids) and was on insulin within a week or two from that. I take over 300 units of humalog, 40 of NPH, and over 100 of NPH 500 (which equals 500 units of NPH!). I've started having low sugars lately, but have been able to bring them up (39 - 55 on a regular basis).

I'm glad to hear he is doing so well! I found out today that my OB hadn't received the information about the low AF! She said if I hit 5, we are having him then. It measured a total of 8 today, so I'm hoping it will be okay. I go in for another u/s Thursday and on Monday. For the time being, I am now on left-side only bedrest and I have to drink lots of water.

Thanks for sharing your story.

[hrnewbie]

It sounds like our GD was pretty similar. I figured out I had it this time at 17 weeks (never had it with the other kids) and was on insulin within a week or two from that. I take over 300 units of humalog, 40 of NPH, and over 100 of NPH 500 (which equals 500 units of NPH!). I've started having low sugars lately, but have been able to bring them up (39 - 55 on a regular basis).

I'm glad to hear he is doing so well! I found out today that my OB hadn't received the information about the low AF! She said if I hit 5, we are having him then. It measured a total of 8 today, so I'm hoping it will be okay. I go in for another u/s Thursday and on Monday. For the time being, I am now on left-side only bedrest and I have to drink lots of water.

Thanks for sharing your story.


Good luck with everything. And be sure to let us know how it goes.

[MamaJAM]

I had extremely low amniotic fluid with my 3rd pregnancy -- I didn't have GD though...and the reason for my fluid problems has never ben determined. My problem was discovered at my 19 week u/s. I was told to drink extra water and have another u/s 3 weeks later -- nothing changed (except that baby kept growing). I went for weekly u/s the rest of my pregnancy -- my fluid level did go up a little -- but was always low...and got lower as my EDD approached. To make things worse - my baby was very active and kept flipping from breech to head-down (the docs couldn't figure out HOW she was flipping there really wasn't any room after 30 weeks -- but she kept doing it). My docs were afraid she's get stuck breech. When I hit 38 weeks - my fluid level was extremely low (the doc used the word 'dangerously')...my baby was head-down that day...so I was sent to the hospital that night to be induced. I delievered a healthy baby girl, head-down.....7 pounds 12 ounces...the next afternoon. They sent my placenta to be examined - hoping to find a reason for my problems with fluid....everything was normal.

Good luck with everything.

[capittm]

I didn't have GD with my 3rd child, but my fluid was very low. Every week I went for NST's twice and an u/s once. They said any time my AF dropped below 5 that I would be sent in for induction. I was on pins and needles. I was told to get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluid. Honestly, I think the fluid was so low because I had such severe vomiting during the pregnancy. I mean all the way up to the day before she was born. I gained 4 1/2lbs during the pregnancy total (I lost 15lbs in the first trimester). During the last month of pregnancy, they took me off the anti-nausea rx and I think that's why my fluid levels dropped so quickly. The day before I went in to have Allie, I was at 6.
But... I went into labor and had Allie and everything went really well. After my water broke (and there wasn't much of it!), Allie seemed to be stressing a bit. My water broke about 8 hrs before she was born (20hrs into labor). They put a tube into my uterus to keep her fluid levels up and had me lay on my right side. I am thinking it was just saline solution they were putting in there, but I'm not sure.

28 hrs after labor started, I had my beautiful, normal little girl who had a slightly bluish tinge, but was just fine. It took her a while to pink up and seemed like forever before I heard that first cry, but she was just fine. :)