For details on low amniotic fluid or Oligohydramnios, refer to this link.
I suffered from low amniotic fluid in both my pregnancies. In my first pregnancy, it started a bit late, when I was almost 37 weeks along. My normal Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) should have been between 8-18. It was somewhere around 5. Adequate resting and drinking loads of water did not help at all. When the level dropped to 2, my doctor suggested immediate induction. I had already crossed 37 weeks by then and I was also suffering from heavy bleeding. I had a healthy baby boy at the end of the delivery.
With my 2nd pregnancy, I had this much earlier- at 33 weeks.
During my regular appointment, I was happily chatting away with my doctor, when suddenly she stopped talking. Frown lines appeared on her forehead and she asked me to go for a NonStress test immediately. She informed me that baby had not grown proportionately in the past month and my AFI had dipped to 6! She a
So told me that I will be admitted to the hospital immediately if something is wrong.
An NST is done to determine the heart rate and movement of the foetus.
I was strapped to a couple of belts for 30 minutes. The report appeared to be normal and I was sent home. I was also given a baby movement checklist, in which I was supposed to note movement of the baby every half an hour.
Back home, I stressed out and googled extensively for tips to improve AFI. In my first pregnancy, drinking lots of fluid had not helped at all. The sad part is that since I had suffered from the same condition in my first pregnancy, I was already drinking lots of water. I thought, I might escape it this time. But this time, it started much earlier!
I started working from home and drank even more water. My next checkup was after a week to see if things improved. However, at the next checkup, the baby was still growing very slowly and the AFI was still at 6. I was extremely disappointed and worried. However, a second NST was performed and my baby passed with flying colors!
Somewhere on the Internet, I found that coconut water helps to increase AFI. I started drinking gallons of packaged coconut water! It was getting stressful to count baby's kicks every half hour. She seemed to be doing well though as she kicked around a lot.
In the next checkup, the baby had started growing normally again but the AFI was still hovering around 6. The baby had not turned in the womb either. Her head was still up as there was little fluid for her to perform, acrobatics!
I somehow passed through the 37 week checkpoint. That was a day of celebration for me! I had spent one entire month in anxiety.
In my next checkup, the doctor informed me that the baby's head had still not gone down and the fluid was still around 6. She offered to wait for a little longer before performing a c-section. I must add that I loved my doctor. She is a very positive, wonderful and competent person.
Finally, in my 38th week checkup, I received the good news. The bay had turned AND my AFI had gone up to an 8! I was overjoyed. I don't know whether there was hidden fluid before the baby turned and was detectable now, or whether the fluid increased and that is why the baby turned. Maybe all that coconut water that I had been drinking did work after all!
I delivered my my healthy baby daughter normally after another week.
I was not able to find out the cause of my AFI. My mom told me that my paternal grandmother suffered delivered all her babies with very low amniotic fluid. All her babies were healthy.
I am happy that I had such a positive and experienced doctor guide me through this period of extreme anxiety.
I suffered from low amniotic fluid in both my pregnancies. In my first pregnancy, it started a bit late, when I was almost 37 weeks along. My normal Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) should have been between 8-18. It was somewhere around 5. Adequate resting and drinking loads of water did not help at all. When the level dropped to 2, my doctor suggested immediate induction. I had already crossed 37 weeks by then and I was also suffering from heavy bleeding. I had a healthy baby boy at the end of the delivery.
With my 2nd pregnancy, I had this much earlier- at 33 weeks.
During my regular appointment, I was happily chatting away with my doctor, when suddenly she stopped talking. Frown lines appeared on her forehead and she asked me to go for a NonStress test immediately. She informed me that baby had not grown proportionately in the past month and my AFI had dipped to 6! She a
So told me that I will be admitted to the hospital immediately if something is wrong.
An NST is done to determine the heart rate and movement of the foetus.
I was strapped to a couple of belts for 30 minutes. The report appeared to be normal and I was sent home. I was also given a baby movement checklist, in which I was supposed to note movement of the baby every half an hour.
Back home, I stressed out and googled extensively for tips to improve AFI. In my first pregnancy, drinking lots of fluid had not helped at all. The sad part is that since I had suffered from the same condition in my first pregnancy, I was already drinking lots of water. I thought, I might escape it this time. But this time, it started much earlier!
I started working from home and drank even more water. My next checkup was after a week to see if things improved. However, at the next checkup, the baby was still growing very slowly and the AFI was still at 6. I was extremely disappointed and worried. However, a second NST was performed and my baby passed with flying colors!
Somewhere on the Internet, I found that coconut water helps to increase AFI. I started drinking gallons of packaged coconut water! It was getting stressful to count baby's kicks every half hour. She seemed to be doing well though as she kicked around a lot.
In the next checkup, the baby had started growing normally again but the AFI was still hovering around 6. The baby had not turned in the womb either. Her head was still up as there was little fluid for her to perform, acrobatics!
I somehow passed through the 37 week checkpoint. That was a day of celebration for me! I had spent one entire month in anxiety.
In my next checkup, the doctor informed me that the baby's head had still not gone down and the fluid was still around 6. She offered to wait for a little longer before performing a c-section. I must add that I loved my doctor. She is a very positive, wonderful and competent person.
Finally, in my 38th week checkup, I received the good news. The bay had turned AND my AFI had gone up to an 8! I was overjoyed. I don't know whether there was hidden fluid before the baby turned and was detectable now, or whether the fluid increased and that is why the baby turned. Maybe all that coconut water that I had been drinking did work after all!
I delivered my my healthy baby daughter normally after another week.
I was not able to find out the cause of my AFI. My mom told me that my paternal grandmother suffered delivered all her babies with very low amniotic fluid. All her babies were healthy.
I am happy that I had such a positive and experienced doctor guide me through this period of extreme anxiety.
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