low amniotic fluid?

Question

I am 34 weeks and went to my doctors to have an ultrasound done today. The reason why they ordered an ultrasound is because a couple weeks ago at my last appointment I was measuring 29 weeks instead of 32. My ultrasound says that my amniotic fluid is low and that I am still only measuring 29 weeks. The thing that is confussing me so much is that my doctor said that the baby is around 6 pounds which is a pretty good size for 34 weeks. I have read that not drinking enough water will cause that to happen in some cases. But, I have been drinking alot of water lately. It seems that no matter how much I drink, I am still dying of thirst. Has anyone else have this happen to them and if so how did everything turn out?

Answer 1

yes this happened to a friend of mine and they watched her close and she ended up having a emergency c-section!! good luck

Answer 2

Amniotic fluid levels can change from day to day, based largely on how hydrated you are. One reading of low fluid is not likely a cause for concern.

Also, and perhaps more importantly, at this point of pregnancy, ultrasound is NOT reliable for determining whether the size of the fetus aligns with the length of the pregnancy. In other words, the size your fetus is at 34 weeks is not the size that mine would be at 34 weeks or any other woman's -- after all our babies are not all the same size when they're born, are they? Weight estimates derived from ultrasounds can be off by as much as a pound, even more.

*But* if you're always thirsty, this can be a warning sign. You need to speak to your doctor about that, because it can indicate gestational diabetes and other complications.

Answer 3

I know lots of women who had "low amniotic fluid" and went on to have perfectly healthy babies delivered vaginally.

Drinking water is really a great start. Really try measuring how much you drink. The 64 ounces isn't enough because you need to remember that your body creates 50% more fluid when you are pregnant. So really you need about 96 ounces of water to replenish yourself every day.

Really measure and make sure you drink that much for a few days then ask the doctor if they can check again.

Good luck!