amniotic fluid troubles

[concernedmomiya]

What can a pregnant mommy do if she is diagnosed that her amniotic fluid is below average level?

[5Homebirths4Kate]

From what I understand, drinking plenty of water can greatly help to increase amniotic fluid levels. I would also stop drinking any beverages that contain caffeine, like coffee, tea and sodas. Caffeine acts as a diruretic so really important to limit caffeine and drink plenty of pure water.

I will ask our resident midwife, Jane, to take a look at your question in case she has some suggestions. If you're going to consider a homebirth and you want to avoid another C-Section, it would be really good to increase amniotic fluid levels for the rest of your pregnancy.

Warm regards,

Kate

[concernedmomiya]

My doctor said drinking water won't help a lot. She said, the water we take doesn't go inside our womb. It goes around our body. So, its just the nutrients we get from water that goes inside our womb. This is why I am very worried and hoping I can figure it out. She also said that my emotional stress is the main cause of this.

[5Homebirths4Kate]

From what my midwife told me, the water you drink definitely does impact the hydration of your body, including the amount of water in the amniotic sack (the amniotic fluid is made from the water in your body). If you were severely dehydrated, then we would not be surprised to see a smaller amount of amniotic fluid too.

I've also read that laying on your left side for 10 minutes at a time can be helpful. Here's a thread in another forum where they discuss ways to increase amniotic fluid. You might find some helpful tips there.

Do you need ideas on how to reduce your stress? Stress can cause a lot of health problems, so you'll want to be sure you're doing things to reduce your anxiety and overall stress.

I will ask Jane to take a look at your question again. I'm guessing she is attending a birth right now and can't respond right away, but until she does, please be sure you are drinking plenty of water. This is very important during pregnancy.

Warm regards,

Kate

[aussiemidwife]

Hi Concernedmomiya - I am sorry I've been on holidays. Measurements of amniotic fluid can fluctuate and do depend on the skill of the ultrasonographer (so they can be inaccurate). Do you know what your amniotic fluid index is? This is a number given when estimating the amount of fluid around the baby. Does your doctor mean your level is lower than average but still in the normal range? Or are the the levels of amniotic fluid abnormal? It can help to have more information to know whether or not you have anything to be concerned about.

I have read some evidence that said that increasing the amount of water (or fluid) you drink can have an impact on the amount of amniotic fluid around the baby. It certainly isn't harmful making sure you have been 8 to 10 average sized glasses of water.

[concernedmomiya]

Hi,
I will have to ask my doctor again regarding those details. But now, I am thankful about the water information. I will make sure that I will drink lots of glasses of water in a day. Also, I will read that thread. Thank you so much!

[mom2many]

Though Jane and Mary have cleared this up, I wanted to second the fact that my midwife also recommended drinking water to keep the body hydrated and raise amniotic fluid levels. Though the water that you consume does not go directly to the womb, it does help to replenish the entire body, and therefore it likely increases the fluid in an inadvertent way.