Low Amniotic Fluid

I was diagonosed with low amniotic fluid with my 3rd child at 37 weeks. They put me on bed rest with ultrasounds scheduled 3 times per week. They were cautious, but my Doctor was also clear to let me know that because of the baby moving and the amount of space that they take up, they can not really get an accurate reading of the amount of fluid that is in there.

In regards to the babies size, it is also not that accurate later in pregancy. My first was supposedly about 8 pounds - she came out at 10lbs 12 oz. My 2nd was supposedly about 6 - 7 pounds, she came out at 8lbs 13oz. I have heard that they are accurate within two pounds. My youngest is 2 1/2 he was the best guess at about 7lbs - he was 7 lbs 14 oz.

I would call your doctor to get more information. The web is a fabulous tool, but often can cause more stress in times like this as you know all things that could possibly go wrong.

Congratulations on your 2nd child. I hope all goes well.

G.

I asked my doc with my first what she estimated the size of the baby to me, and she laughed--she said any doctor that tells you "this is the size of your baby" when you're really pregnant is going to be wrong! She said you can tell certain things--it's a smaller baby, a bigger baby, but specific weight is not going to happen. So--you quite possibly have a smaller baby, but we have friends who are just small people who delivered a perfectly healthy, full term, under 5 pound baby; besides, you are only at 36 weeks; babies gain a lot of weight those last few weeks.

I had low amniotic fluid throughout my pregnancy which was monitored by weekly ultrasounds. Our daughter was born 6 weeks early weighing 6 lb. She spent two weeks in the NICU because she couldn't breathe on her own which was attributed to her being premature. Overall, the low amniotic fluid did no harm. The doctor predicted a 4 lb baby. Also, I have a friend who was told her son would be born weighing 8 lb and he was actually 5 lb (she was induced 2 days after the weight guestimate). So overall I don't think they have the best track record at predicting the weight of a baby.

At 37 1/2 weeks pregnant I was induced because my amniotic fluid level was 3.8. She was very active even with the low fluid level. My midwife told me that since she was so active, she was most likely fine, but to be safe they had to induce. She came out perfect. My daughter was estimated at 6 lbs at that ultrasound and was born 6 lbs 4 oz. Ultrasound this late in pregnancy is accurate within a pound in either direction.

Hi - I know that this can be really scary; when I was pregnant with my first child (now 5) I had low fluid. They found that it was low at 32 weeks. I went in for ultrasounds everyday other day,. Sounds pretty cool that you get to see your baby so many times, but it got to be alot. However, the fluid was always between 3 and 4. My dr. and the techs that I worked with said that normal fluid levels are between 5 and 10; so I dont think that you should be too scared especially if your mid-wife does not seem too concerned. My son was born at 37 weeks and he was happy and healthy. The drs and tech also told me that it can sometimes be difficult to get an exact meaurement; it can depend on the position of the baby which can make the fluid seem lower than it actually is.

I hope this helps a little. My Thoughts are with you and your family

Hi,
You are fortunate to have someone so on top of this. I complained to my doctor and nurse for 2 weeks that my baby was not kicking much at all and it was ignored. I finally went on gut instinct and went to the hospital for an assessment. Thanks God I went. My amniotic fluid was so low, if I had waited even another day or 2, he would have been stillborn.

One thing to keep in mind: we were given the option of inducing, but opted for c-section. The main reason being that the doctor told us that the liklihood was high that we would end up there because with the fluid level so low, there was nothing to "cushion" the cord and it is easier to get compressed??? I don't remember exact details as this was 5 years ago.

I don't know about babies weight. You are in the final month which is usually when they pack on weight. Could also be your due date is off.

So, keep track of your babies movements and stay on top of the ultrasounds to check on fluid levels.

Good luck,
K.

Low amniotic fluid is a big deal and midwives always seem to want to take the wait and see approach about it. I would push more- I have a child with developmental delay and also had low amniotic fluid. I'm not saying they are necessarily related, but if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely advocate more during my pregnancy and press for answers and I wouldn't give a rip what people think about me for doing it.

Sorry I didn't get back to you until now. My water broke at 23 weeks and the most fluid I was able to hold for the next 2 weeks was 1.9. My daugher was born at 25 weeks and 5 days gestation. She was 1 pound 11 ounces and has done really well, she was born in February and she is not far behind other kids of her age and up with the kids of her gestational age. When it comes to estimating baby's weight on ultrasound I had a doctor tell me they are usually within 1 pound either way.

Hi there!
When I went in for my 38 week check up the dr. checked to see how much my belly had grown, and he was a bit concerned when he came to find that it hadn't. So they did an ultrasound and I had really low amniotic fluid. They said that my baby was small and right they were....They sent me to the hospital and I was induced. I went right into labor just a half hour after induction. My son ended up being in distress and they performed an emergency c-section. He was born at 5 lbs 9 oz and only 18 inches long. Apparently my placenta had run out of gas and that is why he hadn't grown and the amniotic fluid was low. So they are pretty correct at guessing the weight of the baby, usually just an ounce or two off. Hopefully everything goes well for you! I forgot to mention, that my son was born completely healthy and remains so at now, 7 months:)

Hi I went on bed rest with my second child at 3 months due to contractions. At 36 weeks when it was getting to be to painful. They starting doing ultrasounds to check the babies weight. They kept telling us he was to small yet they would like to wait a little longer. He was weighing in at around 4lbs 6oz. They said to give or take a pound. We did the ultrasound 3 different times that week. Need less to say he came into the world at 37 weeks weighing 8lbs 13 oz. My ob couldn't belive it and told the nurse to weight him again. My ob felt so bad he said that he would have never made me wait this long to have him. So lets hope that your little one is weighing in a little heavier that it says. My first on just made 5 pounds he was 4weeks early and as healthy as they come. I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible for you and the baby.

I had a similar situation. My fluid levels were getting lower. So I had to rest at home - no work or exercise but not bedrest. Drink fluids and don't sweat. The baby's estimated weight was low so I was induced at 38 weeks. She came out about 6 oz. heavier than estimated. She was born at 6 pounds even. She's completely healthy and got a 9 on the Apgar.
Just take it easy. I know that's easier said than done.

With my daughter I had an ultrasound the day before my induction and they estimated her at 9.5 lbs and she came out at 7 lb 3 oz so they were way off. The ultrasound tech told me that the ultrasound can be as much as 2 lbs off.

Please trust your intuition on this situation, if you feel that there is something wrong dont wait for Monday or for your midwife to have time for you, go into the hospital right away and let them set your mind at ease. You might also use a heart monitor to check your baby daily.

They are NOT always very accuate with estimating birth weight!!! My midwife said that my baby would be 7 to 8 pounds and he was over 9 instead. She told me that ultrasounds after the 20 week mark get less and less accurate with estimating birth weight......

My friend has low fluid too so she just put herself on bedrest and drank a ton of water. When she went back in, her fluid was up a little......So she kept doing that until it was back to normal.

I had low amniotic fluid with my first child which they found out when I was only 25 weeks pregnant. I had to have multiple ultrasounds from then until the birth so they could closely monitor the numbers...I don't remember the exact number but I do remember it was in the 7's as well. I do know that if it got much lower they were going to induce me as well due to the risk of umbilical cord compression...but I also know that towards the end of pregancy the anmiotic fluid level lowers naturally. Since you are 37 weeks along at least know that your baby is considered "full term" and that he/she is developed enough to thrive if you do need to be induced. I ended up being induced due to high blood pressure (not due to my low amniotic fluid) but my baby was fine and he is now 2.5 and very smart. I will tell you when my water finally broke though..it was a tiny puddle..not a gush :) Good luck and I hope that everything turns out the way you want it to for your birth!

When my sister had low fluid, the dr put her on temporary bed rest. Try to take it easy this weekend. Drink lots of water and try to just stay in bed or on the couch.

I had a similar problem....I was at 37 weeks and had low fluid levels (I think 4.1 and you are automatically induced at 3.9) I too was incredibly nervous and insisted my doctor induce me. She put me on modified bed rest and made me wait until 38 weeks and then induced me. My daughter was born at 5lb 13oz...but my husband and I are small people. She was perfectly healthy! (The ultra sound was predicting a 6 lb baby.) The reason they were pretty comfortable with my low fluid levels was that the non-stress test was completely normal and the fact that my daughter was VERY active in utero. My only thought would be to make sure you are doing your kick counts and making sure the baby is moving around. If you are uncomfortable, insist your doctor induces you...it just isn't worth putting your baby and your health at jeopardy. Feel free to email with any other questions.
Best of luck!!

Hi, Don't worry! Its going to be ok.....my third one I had low fluid. It was a week before my due date....They induced me the next day and everything was fine. It happens sometimes. I and my hubby were born as 4 pound baby's and we were both fine. My mom was small and i was 3 weeks early....everything good. My husband was a month early and a twin...a day in the iniqu (sp?) and him and his sister are great. No troubles! They will do what is best for you and baby...so your going to be just fine! Congrates and best wishes!

I had low fluid with my second son (though I don't remember the exact numbers). I was put on light bedrest and told to drink lots and lots of water. I was rechecked a week later and fluid levels were back up. I also had a small baby but he is perfectly healthy, I just have small babies.

They told me that too. I was 35 when I had my second. The clinic that we went to for my ultrasounds had me in there 4 different times because of alarming things they saw on my ultrasound. First it was that her stomach wasn't developing properly, then it was that she seem small (she was 7lb 10oz at birth), then they said my fluid was low, and then finally on the fourth one, they said everything looked fine.

Sometimes I wonder if it wasn't just a way for them to make more money. Seeing as moms at 35+ are considered high risk, I think they can get away with more in regard to insurance billing.

My little one was born at 42 weeks, she was beautiful and strong and absolutely perfect. Try not to let them freak you out. Take care of yourself and drink plenty of fluids.

My situation is not quite the same. My water started leaking at 31 weeks ( I did not realize it was amniotic fluid for four days) and when it finally "broke" I lost less than 1/2 can of pop( about 100ml). The ultrasound after all that leakage said we were at about a 5. My daughter came all on her own that night at 31 weeks 3 days and weighed in at 3 1/2 pounds. The ultrasound predicted her weight at 3 pounds even so it was off. Also, the doctors were going to let me wait until 32 weeks to be induced (obviously to let my daughter grow bigger and older) but were not concerned with the score of 5. Keep in mind though that she was smaller in the space so it was easier to estimate everything. The closer and bigger you get the harder it is to estimate weight and amniotic fluid etc.

Please dont be made scared by the weigth given by scans THEY SHOULD NOT PREDICT weights that way it often does more damage than good and they are noteably unreliable.

Off hand I cant remember much about amniotic fluid off hand however we have a midwife on *a little wish*.

She cant of course given you medical advice but she can give information that may help :)

http://forums.a-little-wish.co.uk/Default.aspx?g=topics&a...

I don't know much about amniotic fluid levels, but your baby sounds pretty close to average in size if your due date is correct and if the doctor's estimate is in the ball park. My oldest was born at 36 1/2 weeks and he was 5 lbs. 9 0z. The last few weeks of pregnancy is when babies really put on weight, I believe it's approximately 1/2 pound per week. If my son had gone a couple more weeks he would have made it to a more normal birthweight of 7 1/2 pounds. So, your baby may be on the small side, but it sounds like he/she is doing fine size-wise. Best wishes and I hope the amniotic fluid issue turns out well. I don't know the details of their situations, but I do know of a work colleague and an acquaintance who had low amniotic fluid and went on to have healthy babies.

I wouldn't panic. They can tell by the ultrasound if the baby is healthy. If there was any question about your baby's health they would have induced you or done a c-section right away. 37 weeks is considered full term. So, if you end up delivering on Monday, even if your baby is small, everything should be developed for your little one. My baby was just born three months ago and he was just under 37 weeks when they induced me. (It was due to preeclampsia.) After he was born we found out there were placenta issues we didn't know about. He was 5 lbs 3 oz and he was/is perfectly healthy, just a little small. I know it's hard, but try not to worry--if all his body functions were good at the ultra sound (which they must have been otherwise they would have induced) he is healthy and that's what matters. Good luck!!

Estimates are not very accurate. My midwife said I was going to have a small (6 - 6.5 lb.) baby and she was born at 7.5. I know a friend who had low fluid and freaked out about it for the last several weeks of pregnancy then had a healthy normal sized baby girl without any induction or C-section. I would take the previous advice and drink lots and rest as much as possible, and keep a close eye on progress - get a second opinion if possible. This seems to be an area of disagreement between medical practitioners.

I had low amniotic fluid with my son. If I remember right I was about as far along as you are. I drank lots of water and went to the next ultrasound. My fluid was around the 7 or 8 level originally and I believe it went up to 11 within a few days. It can fluctuate a lot depending on the amount on liquid you drink. My son was born within days of his due date. I did have a c-section but I think that was more to do with the fact that my son had quite a large head rather than the low fluid level. As one of the other posts said...when my water broke it wasn't a big puddle it was more of a large gush and then it continued for awhile. As for birthweight, I think they do their best guess but it is often wrong so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Hi,
Don't stress out--it sounds like your midwife is monitoring you closely, and if it was a true emergency, then she'd induce you. I too had low fluid levels, although it wasn't discovered until the 39th week. My little guy was born healthy and of a much bigger weight than predicted. Congrats on your impending arrival!