Discharge...yuck

K.,
Do you think you could just be a little extra sweaty with pregnancy? I know when I was expecting my feet all of a sudden were extremely sweaty (joy, joy). I had to change socks a few times every day. Just a thought. You should rule out more serious issues like amniotic fluid though. Good luck and congratulations!

From my medical background, I can answer some of your concerns. I see that you are pregnant and due to have a baby soon. About one half to one third of all women have a problem with urinary Incontinence and Bladder control. It can be caused by the baby leaning on the bladder, and cause some seepage. If you are wearing white panties, it is easier to see the COLOR of the wetness. Is it clear or slightly pale yellow? If it is in the front area, it is probably urine. In the crotch area, it could be a discharge, which ranges from clear, white, yellow or brown. If your urine has a strong odor and is dark colored, or contains blood (is pink/red), it is a sign of infection. Discharges that smell, itch, burn, or are colored are also a sign of something going on down there. See your doctor if any of those symptoms exist. It is normal for a women to have a clear discharge, often caused by activity and hormones or ovulation.
Certain factors can cause you to leak. AGE, (older women), pregnancy, hormone changes, activity and exercise, laughing, sneezing, coughing or even hugging someone. As a woman gets older, her muscles are weakened and it can be caused by weak vaginal/urinary muscles.
If it is more than a little leakage, you can be prescribed medication for it, but being that you are pregnant, I am not sure what the doctor will suggest. The condition of bladder leakage normally goes away after the post partum phase, when your muscles begin to come back to normal.
Hope that this helps.

Honestly, I know how you feel!
My son is now 3 1/2 months old, and I had the same issue the whole time I was pregnant (it actually started before I even knew I was pregnant). It also happened when I was pregnant with my daughter.
I'd guess that you are fine, but since you are pregnant I think it was a very smart move to call your doctor.
I know it makes you feel uncomfortable, but I had the same thing, I would suggest wearing a pad. I must admit, I always loved the fact that while you are pregnant you don't have a period and wearing a pad was a little disappointing. However, it does keep things much cleaner...I used very thin panty liners...they were more comfortable and still took care of the clean factor. Baby wipes also can help to make you feel fresher.
Hope this helps!

Its normal to have an increase of vaginal dischare when you are expecting. Mine increased mostly in my last trimester. I am a member of am on-line message board related totaly to pregnancy and family issues. Some of the girls on my Due Date Club had so much discharge that they had to wear pads or change panties asfter they got home from work. Its nothing to worry abou tin general. BUT if it is accompanied by preterm labor symptoms go see a doc right away. also, if you are having any reddness or your peri area feels "beefy" (red, swollen, tender) see your doc to make sure that you don't have an infection :)

Hi K.,
This is what my doctor told me. This can usually happen to mothers after childbirth. You need to do some easy isometrics exercises. When sitting down, squeeze tummy in and hold for 10 seconds. This is like you are holding to go to the bathroom. You can do this 10 times, then take a little break, then repeat. To tell you the truth, I like doing this one as often as I remember to do my exercises. I do this every time I sit down. This is the only exercise I like and that is why I remember it. Please check out other isometrics exercises. It's easy to do and no strain, or stress. Good for stress relief also. When all else fails, there is always Depends or Poise Pads for bladder control. I hope this has helped. This is what my mother never told me about how important it is to do your exercises after having a baby. If you don't tighten up your stomach muscles and thighs, after a while you will spring a leak because your muscles are weak and won't work. (Not much humor in that statement, but otherwise true.)
From A Friend.

Hi K.,
You're pregnant. It's probably leakage. Not a big deal it happens. With little ones under toe you probably forgot about kegals. Make sure you do them every day. Tag them with something else. Like during commercials or at a red light etc. It may help to stop this but be sure to mention it to your OBGYN at your next appointment. Most of all don't fret. This will pass BUT do your kegals! That way after the baby comes things will be in better condition and will not continue afterwards. You have to do them. Trust me on that!

I agree with Heather W. I, too, leaked fluid for 5 days with my first and also thought it was urine. Had I called my doctor earlier, I could have avoided a c-section (ended up getting induced right away, but didn't progress quickly enough and, due to risk of infection since I walked around with water broken for so long, they did c-section). It's worth the call to your doctor just for peace of mind.

If your "about me" section is still up to date and you are indeed VERY pregnant, then discharge is pretty normal. I'm 5 months with my second and have the same thing. i just wear a light pad and deal with it. Sorry...but it's normal! You can talk to your OB about it if you're concerned and if it has a very strong oder, I would call your OB cause it could be amniotic fluid which usually isn't good.

Hi K.,
I know it's been suggested, but I'd definitely get it checked out to be sure it's not amniotic fluid. I experienced this with my son only a few weeks before I delivered. I was convinced it was my water....I'd feel these little small gushes all day. I felt like I was always leaking. In my case, it was urine....but I'd check to be sure. I ended up wearing a pad until I had my son. I thought I'd never know the difference if my water broke (with both my pregnancies my water broke first and I had to be induced b/c labor never started), but I really did. Anyway, all that to say, better to be safe then sorry. Good luck to you! Congratulations, March is almost here!!

Hi K.-

I HIGHLY suggest that you insist on an ultrasound to check your fluid levels. I thought that I was leaking fluid for about 2 months because I had the exact same symptom you are describing--- every time I went to the bathroom (which was obviously all the time!), my underwear would be heavily dampened with a clear, odorless liquid. I mentioned it to my doc several times and they kept telling me that I was fine, it “most likely” wasn’t amniotic fluid. WELL--- week 41 when I went for a biophysical profile to see if I could be allowed to stay pregnant another week, I was EXTREMELY low on fluid. My little guy had 7 units less that the normal and 3 units less than the bottom of the acceptable range (I’m not sure what the unit of measurement is, I just remember that normal is 11, anything over 7 is acceptable and I had 4). My husband and I were instructed to head directly to the hospital, no going home to get my bag or let the dog out, just straight to the hospital. They induced me as soon as I got there. Luckily I was still able to have a vaginal delivery, but I had to be hooked up to continuous fetal monitoring the whole time and I’m pretty sure that if my son hadn’t come out easily with the induction that they would have jumped right to a c-section faster than they would have under normal circumstances. And, needless to say, I was very worried until he was safely in my arms.

I highly suggest that you demand that they check your fluid levels. You may have to do it twice with a few days apart to measure the fluid pattern. Everything ended happy for me, and I’m sure that you and your baby will be fine too, but I really wish I had known about my fluid level. Best wishes for a wonderful delivery!

smell it could be fluid or could be urine leeking which does happen

sometimes when we are pregnant the bladder muscles become weak. the baby is probably pressing on your bladder. wear a panty liner so you will feel a little fresher should an accident occur. mention it to the doctor when you go for your next visit. everything will be fine. good luck and congratulations.

I see you are pregnant, could it possibly be amniotic fluid? When I was pregnant with my first I was leaking for a few days, I thought it was urine. Its probably worth a call to the doctor to be sure.

K....you're due in March? Have you had a sonogram lately??? It might be that you're leaking amniotic fluid. You'll want to check with your OBGYN to make sure your fluid levels are ok. It could also be that the baby is sitting on your bladder and causing it to leak. Hopefully it should clear up after you have the baby but I would check with your dr just to be safe. Wearing a heavy pad should help protect your underwear so you can stay dry and clean. Good luck! Let us know how it goes. :)
N.

K., You should be able to do a sniff test to tell if it's urine...your OB can do a simple test with a special type of paper to make sure it is not amniotic fluid.

When I was pregnant, a couple weeks before I delivered my daughter, I had a ton of cervical discharge. It was very wet feeling, not mucousy. The doctor told me that it was due to cervical changes. I did have to wear a pad until I delivered.

Good luck and let us know!

Hi K.,
I had the same issue when I was pregnant and felt leaky. When I went to the Dr. to be checked, everything is normal...I was worried that it was amniotic fluid. I would go and be checked just in case and to set your mind at ease...I remember thinking it was a lot of fluid and it wasn't, but panicking is no good for baby. Good luck and I pray it's just the normal ick of pregnancy!
M.

This can be, is normal if you are about the 10-16th day of your cycle that ten dsys from the first day of bleeding to about ovilation time. some medicines make you more wet.are you still nursing? You can have an ovilation with out bleeding thought rarer. Also semenal residue can keep you wet for a day ar so after coitus. Our sexuality is closly conected with our homones and fertility. If you are feeling particularly interested in sex, your will be wetter. This is very normal and desirable. But sometimes yucky.

OOps I see you are pregnant, so my mistake, most of this doesn't apply except the hormones and wettness is very normal during PG. Wear a pad.
V. M. CPM

Hi, K.,
That sounds like what happened to me w/ my 2nd pregnancy! I thought I was peeing my pants but it turned out that I was coming down with a yeast infection, which is extremely common during pregnancy.
The hormones, etc... can make them more difficult to treat and I, especially being pregnant, felt MUCH more comfortable w/ natural remedies myself.

If you have a Wegmans or health food store close by, you can get a product called "Yeast Away" from a company called Boiron. They're gel suppositories that you insert before bedtime. Wear a pantyliner though b/c you WILL leak. But they work well.
Another natural & CHEAP (not to mention very safe) remedy is to actually take a garlic clove and insert that vaginally. Sounds strange, but if you do this for several nights (and especially if you do it during the day too) it works very well. If you're worried about having to try & fish it out, lol, you can make a "tampon" out of it w/ some gauze & dental floss. I know it sounds strange, but my midwife highly recommended it & I have used that remedy on a few different occasions.
Plain yogurt, both eaten & "applied" is also great & you should start taking a probiotic if you're not already. Also, try to cut down on sugar & white/refined flours.

I hope that helps some & that you get some relief soon!