Low amniotic fluid during second trimester- any advise or experience>

[jcwmama]

Hi. I'm currently 24 weeks pregnant. I'm being monitored by u/s because of a blood clotting disorder. The u/s three weeks ago revealed borderline low amniotic fluid (8cm at 21 weeks). A follow-up today showed still low measurements at 10cm.  Thankfully all the anatomical measurements for baby are normal- size, growth and most importantly good bladder and kidney function and size.  Basically, my OB doesn't know why I have low amniotic fluid.  I'm not overly concerned about it since the baby is growing properly, has good HB and is very active.  

I was wondering if there are any tips of things I could do to increase amniotic fluid.  I'm drinking one gallon of water per day, which is a lot, but don't mind doing more if that will help.  I want to see the number increase for many reasons- one of which it to avoid future frequent u/s and anxiety.  

Has anyone experienced similar diagnoses with no known cause?  Poor bladder and kidney function in baby are often to blame for low amniotic fluid levels, but as I said, my baby is looking good!  

Thanks for your time!

[cholderby]

I had a similar experience with my last one. I was exercising a lot, so I had to drink an insane amount of water and cut down on salt.  It took a while but it did eventually resolve.  

Hang in there, it stinks when things aren't textbook.

[creolegirl]

I had the same issue with my first, no known cause.  My fluid remained on the lower end of normal, around 6centimeters, throughout my pregnancy. Sometimes it went up one or two, but not significantly to where they wanted it to be which was 10c.  All the while, my daughter was active and measuring fine.  To see if there would be any change, I was put on complete bed rest for several weeks, then limited bed rest.  Up until the birth, I drank up to 2 gallons of water a day, cut back on salt, and went to the pool daily and sat up to my neck for 45 mins.  None helped for me, but not say that it won't help you.  It's may be worth a try for a while.

Anyhow, supposingly there are studies that show that being immersed in water helps release fluid from your tissues - it's the large amount of water pressure on your body from being in the pool.  I had to switch OB's at 38 weeks (she had been trying to scare me from 20 weeks on into being induced at 30-32wks b/c of the fluid issue) But my new OB mentioned that in his opinion measurement of fluid by ultrasound is somewhat guesswork, but rather an estimate.  Plus I was always above the necessary 5cm, so technically I wasn't oligohydramnios.  So he didn't see the need to continue biweekly ultrasounds and non stress tests.   My water broke 3 days shy of 40 weeks, but I had a c-section because she was still breech.  I do remember when my daughter was born, he kept commenting on how much fluid I seemed to have had.  Nonetheless, she was very healthy (7lb7ou), with no issues.  Try not to stress about it, but just do what you can:)  

[akemt]

First, I would caution everyone about cutting salt.  Yes, by all means cut out processed foods and table salt, but your body needs quality salt to work effectively especially in pregnancy.  And secondly, drinking too much water without balancing your salts can cause problems on a cellular level...that then cascades into bigger issues.  Always steer clear of the distilled water for drinking water because it can actually rob your body of necessary minerals, etc.

So, personal experience on this one.  I had oligo in my first pregnancy.  Another common cause is maternal hypertension (PIH, preeclampsia, etc).  I generally run quite low BP-wise, but my bp had risen pretty dramatically to 120's/80's and I'd every now and then get a labile BP in the hypertensive range (140's/90's) and that was enough stress on my placenta to affect perfusion.  I was on "don't sit up" bedrest and drank lots of fluids and my fluid level did improve drastically while my BP didn't increase much (over an 8 wk period).  Now, I wouldn't suggest full-blown bedrest, but resting a great deal on your left side.

It is completely true that an AFI is more like a guess.  If there is any tissue, (limb, finger, cord) etc in a pocket of fluid they cannot count the entire pocket, if they can even count the pocket at all, according to the test protocols.  That can lead to a much lower level than what is there in reality.  And they only measure 4 quadrants (breaking your stomach up into 4 sections -right upper, left upper, right lower and left lower) and who is to say you don't have a front, back, top and bottom one as well!?  ;)   I would pay attention at your next ultrasound, sometimes the techs are more forthcoming with information and sometimes they're scared of liability issues and won't share squat...but you should be able to see if they're only measuring a small portion of a bigger pocket thanks to an arm or umbilical cord in the way.

Best wishes!

[tropicana]

Originally Posted by jcwmama 

Hi. I'm currently 24 weeks pregnant. I'm being monitored by u/s because of a blood clotting disorder. The u/s three weeks ago revealed borderline low amniotic fluid (8cm at 21 weeks). A follow-up today showed still low measurements at 10cm.  Thankfully all the anatomical measurements for baby are normal- size, growth and most importantly good bladder and kidney function and size.  Basically, my OB doesn't know why I have low amniotic fluid.  I'm not overly concerned about it since the baby is growing properly, has good HB and is very active.  

I was wondering if there are any tips of things I could do to increase amniotic fluid.  I'm drinking one gallon of water per day, which is a lot, but don't mind doing more if that will help.  I want to see the number increase for many reasons- one of which it to avoid future frequent u/s and anxiety.  

Has anyone experienced similar diagnoses with no known cause?  Poor bladder and kidney function in baby are often to blame for low amniotic fluid levels, but as I said, my baby is looking good!  

Thanks for your time!

i saw your post on the main page. yes, i have a "cure" that worked so well for me that my high risk OBs started recommending it to others: FRUIT SALAD. make your own. get watermelons, orange melons, green melons, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, red grapes and green grapes. wash, slice and dice. put them all in a huge tupperware container, and then start eating it. in massive quantities. everyday. if you are doing this right, you will have to make a new fruit salad every 2-3 days. 

my fluid was borderline low and it was summer. second trimester, too, maybe going into third trimester. 

after doing the fruit salad for awhile, it rebounded back into the smack dab middle of the normal range.

good luck.

[LWruby]

Hi jcwmama-

I'm going through something similar right now so I understand how this situation can be scary and confusing especially when they can't tell you "why" the fluid is low! I think it's important to remember that their numbers are only estimates and don't always reflect the actual amount of fluid accurately. So, yes, your fluid probably is low, BUT it may not be as low as they are telling you. They can only measure the fluid pockets they can see on U/S, and their ability to visualize the pockets can be hampered by the baby's position, the cord's position, etc... 

Anyhoo, I had 4.5cm of fluid at 28 weeks and baby measured on the smaller side (13th percentile for growth) so I was placed on modified bedrest and told to increase fluids & calories, which I did.  

I also added an additional calcium supplement (calcium citrate) because I read that some research indicates additional calcium can help with fluid production. I submerged myself in water (like a pool or a deep tub) for 20 minutes at least once a day, I tried to lay/sleep on my left side (helps placenta work more efficiently) as often as possible, and I added a protein drink a few times a day (I used the Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus 21 Nutrient Blend).... And my fluid numbers started to steadily increase. Now, at 34 weeks, my fluid is at 17cm! Baby is still 13th percentile for growth, but they think he is just "constitutionally small" :)

I honestly have no idea if all of my efforts made the fluid increase or if it would have done so on it's own.... but I'm kinda type-A and I felt better thinking I was doing everything in my power to increase it! 

Also, I have heard that if the low fluid is related to a clotting issue, adding a vit K supplement can be helpful, but I don't know much about that so I would run it by your OB or MW. 

A word of caution: if you are drinking a gallon+ of water daily like I am, don't try to drastically cut your salt. My OB said not to consume an excessive amount of salt, but not to cut it out of my diet either. All the added water combined with a sudden decrease in salt consumption can throw your electrolyte balance way off, which is bad news. My advice is, increase your water, make healthy, whole food choices, but don't go out of your way to avoid salt! 

Good luck!

-Ruby