Hi, well currently 6 days over and had check up today cervix is closed and prosterior also monitored babies heart rate and everything is fine but had ultrasound to check fluid and it is pretty low so they have booked me for an induction with the gel on thursday. Have mixed feelings of excitement and fear, and it seems more of a reality that I am actually going to have a baby now.
Have you tried some natural methods to help induce labour? You could try raspberry leaf tea and/or nipple stimulation (with midwife/OBs okay), sex (semen helps to ripen the cervix) or exercise. There are some others such as spicy food which are meant to work by causing sympathetic contractions of the uterus because the spicy food is meant to cause you to go to the toilet, but this isn't a good way to try an induce labour IMO! Good luck
Yep I have tried a couple of things to bring it on naturally but no change at all. I know most pregnancies are generally 42 weeks but having had two miscarriages all I care about it getting bubs out safely and if there is not much fluid then induction is what is best. I am pretty scared just from the stories I have heard about induction and this isnt how I pictured it happening for me but I just want bubs safely in my arms.
Wishing you the best of luck for a great labour Salad. I too was induced and it wasn't what i had hoped for. But many BB gals posted in a thread at the time about good induction stories. I'll see if i can find the thread to give you a few positive vibes.
Thanks Falguni for the link to the thread, I will just try to get some rest and think positive and will just have to take everything as it comes what else can you do really.
Thanks everyone for the well wishes.
You can take the tea into the hospital with you and drink it while you're in labour, it may help it progress. With any intervention, there can be increased risk but it sounds to me (and I'm no Dr or midwife) that this induction is the best thing for the health of your bub.
What is oligohydramnios?
Oligohydramnios means having too little amniotic fluid in your womb. When there's too much, it's called polyhydramnios. About 8 per cent of all pregnant women are found to have low amniotic fluid at some point, usually in their third trimester. Among those still pregnant two weeks past their due date, 12 per cent have this condition.
What is amniotic fluid and what does it do?
Amniotic fluid is the liquid that surrounds your baby as he grows in the amniotic sac in your uterus during pregnancy. The fluid, or waters, protects him from being hurt if you have a blow to your tummy or your tummy is compressed. The fluid also plays an important part in protecting your baby against infection and in helping his lungs and digestive system to mature. Babies regularly swallow the amniotic fluid and it is passed out of their bodies as urine. In this way, your baby controls the volume of amniotic fluid around him.
How much fluid should I have?
The amount of amniotic fluid you have increases until the beginning of the third trimester and generally peaks at 36/37 weeks, at which point you may have about 800-1000ml/2 pints. After that, it gradually begins to decrease until you give birth.
How can I tell if I have low amniotic fluid?
Your doctor or midwife may suspect this problem if:
• you are leaking fluid
• your baby is 'small for dates'
• on examination the outline of your baby is easily felt
• you are not feeling the baby move very much
• you have had a previous baby whose growth was restricted
• you have chronic high blood pressure
• you have diabetes
• you have lupus
To find out what's going on, she'll send you for an ultrasound. The sonographer measures across the largest pockets of amniotic fluid in four different sections of your uterus and adds them together to see where you rate on the amniotic fluid index (AFI). A normal measure for the third trimester is somewhere between 5 and 25cm. A total of 5cm or less is considered low.
What are the risks to my baby if I develop this condition?
The consequences for your baby depend on what's causing the problem, how far along you are, and how little fluid you have. Oligohydramnios is most commonly diagnosed later in the third trimester, when it usually requires nothing more than keeping a close watch on things.
If you develop low amniotic fluid in the second half of pregnancy, the main concern is that it can restrict your baby's lungs growing. You may need to have your baby's heart rate monitored regularly and ultrasound scans to closely watch your baby's development until you deliver. Your baby is also at risk if you go into premature labour. However, if your doctor is concerned about your baby's growth, it may be safer for your baby to be delivered early, than to remain in the womb. When born your baby may have dry leathery skin. Your baby may also be at risk of having a squashed looking face and having talipes, also known as 'club foot', because of being compressed in your womb. Often, babies present in the breech position because they do not have enough fluid to help them to turn into the correct head down position during the pregnancy.
If you are near your due date and your doctor thinks your baby's growth is poor, she may decide to induce labour. Low fluid often raises worries about complications during labour. The main concern is that there is not enough fluid to protect the umbilical cord from being compressed accidentally by the baby. This could lead to the baby being distressed and the doctor may recommend a caesarean delivery. However, many studies have found that there is no increased risk of either fetal distress or caesarean delivery amongst babies born around their due date, with little fluid, compared to those with a normal level of fluid (Venturini et al 2005).
Low levels of amniotic fluid during the first trimester and early part of the second trimester of your pregnancy are rare, but where it does occur, it may lead to an increased chance of miscarriage, or stillbirth.
What causes oligohydramnios?
Experts don't always know what causes low amniotic fluid. Oligohydramnios is more commonly identified in summer months so may be due to maternal dehydration (Varner et al 2005). It has been found that drinking plenty of water will boost levels of amniotic fluid (Hofmeyr et al 2002) so it would be worthwhile keeping your liquid intake up. You'll also want to take care to eat well and rest.
There are other causes of oligohydramnios, each of which requires its own treatment. Here are some of the most common causes and how they're managed:
Leaky or ruptured membranes
You may have a small tear in the membranes, allowing amniotic fluid to leak out. This can happen at any point in your pregnancy although it's more common as you approach your due date. You may notice the leaking fluid yourself if you find that your underwear is wet, or your doctor or midwife may discover it during an examination. Ruptured membranes can increase the risk of infection for both you and your baby because it provides a way for bacteria to enter the uterus. Occasionally, a tear will heal on its own, the leaking will stop, and the fluid will return to normal. (This is usually the case if the leaking happens after an amniocentesis.) Otherwise, your doctor will need to monitor for signs of infection for the rest of your pregnancy. As long as there are no signs of infection and all is well, you'll be able to continue with your pregnancy as normal.
Placenta problems
You may have a problem with your placenta that keeps it from supplying enough blood and nutrients to the baby. Small babies produce small amounts of urine and hence low levels of fluid.
Fetal abnormalities
If you're found to have low amniotic fluid in your first or second trimester, it may mean that the baby is not able to produce enough urine to keep the level of amniotic fluid up. This may be because he has an abnormality (Vanderheyden et al 2003). Abnormalities that can lead to oligohydramnios include:
• the baby not having any kidneys (renal agenesis)
• the baby having abnormally large kidneys
• the baby's kidneys not developing properly (Potter's syndrome)
• the baby's urinary tract being blocked
• a congenital heart defect can also cause this problem
If you're diagnosed with oligohydramnios before your third trimester, you'll have a high-resolution ultrasound to check for birth defects and possibly an amniocentesis to test for a genetic defect.
Twin to twin transfusion syndrome
If you're carrying identical twins and each has his own amniotic sac, there's a 10 to 15 per cent chance they'll develop a condition called twin to twin transfusion syndrome. This happens when there's a problem with the placenta and one twin ends up with a disproportionate share of the blood supply. The "donor" twin suffers from low amniotic fluid, while the "recipient" twin usually ends up with too much. If you're carrying twins, you'll need to have frequent ultrasounds to check your fluid levels and your babies' growth.
Medications
Certain drugs may cause oligohydramnios. ACE inhibitors, which are used for management of high blood pressure, should be avoided in pregnancy as they affect the baby's kidney function (Murki et al 2005). Certain drugs used to postpone premature labour such as indomethacin or even ibuprofen may also affect the kidney function of the baby. Talk to your doctor if you need to use these medications during your pregnancy.
Reviewed September 2005
Sorry to make such a huge post, but I found another article that may be of interest to you;
Low Level of Amniotic Fluid No Reason to Induce Labor
Posted on: Friday, 7 February 2003, 06:00 CST
Low Level of Amniotic Fluid No Reason to Induce Labor
source: Health Scout News
By Janice Billingsley
HealthScoutNews Reporter
A low level of amniotic fluid in the last trimester of a pregnancy, often thought to be sufficient cause to induce delivery, is not reason enough to do so.
Johns Hopkins researchers who studied the health of more than 250 babies born at 37 weeks of gestation say they found that babies whose mothers had low levels of amniotic fluid were of normal size. And the babies had no greater risk for health problems than babies whose mothers had normal levels of amniotic fluid.
"This study indicates that we don't want to intervene because of a Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) of less than five if everything else is normal," says study author Dr. Ernest M. Graham, an assistant professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Johns Hopkins University.
Graham presented the results of his study on Feb. 7 at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in San Francisco.
Amniotic fluid is a clear, slightly yellowish liquid that surrounds the fetus during pregnancy; it is contained in the amniotic sac. Normal levels of fluid indicate proper functioning of the developing fetus, while low levels can be associated with incomplete lung development and poor fetal growth. Measured by depths in centimeters, normal amounts range from five to 25 centimeters; below that is considered low.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends the Amniotic Fluid Index should be only one measure of assessing fetal health. Heart monitors and sonograms are others.
However, doctors often induce delivery -- especially at 37 weeks -- based largely on a low AFI, says Dr. Siobhan Dolan, assistant medical director of the March of Dimes.
Normal gestation lasts approximately 37 to 40 weeks, according to the March of Dimes, which last week launched a $75 million campaign to address the high incidence of premature babies born before 37 weeks.
"In general, there's a tendency, at 37 weeks, to deliver the baby," Dolan says. "But this is a good study because it gives people reassurance to manage the pregnancy with careful monitoring and observation. You don't have to go immediately to the labor room."
For the study, Graham and his colleagues studied 262 women who gave birth at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1999 to 2002, comparing the babies' health at birth. One hundred thirty-one women had had a low AFI during their third trimester, a condition called oligohydramnios. The other 131 women had normal amounts of amniotic fluid at the end of their pregnancies.
Women with low AFI levels had their labor induced sooner due to their condition, but were less likely to have Caesarean sections, Graham says. The babies born to these women were normal size, and were at no increased risk for respiratory problems, immature intestines or brain disorders, he says.
"We've always thought that AFI was correlated with blood flow in the fetus, that a low AFI meant there wasn't a good blood flow, but we found that AFI is a very poor indicator of that," Graham says. The finding should give doctors pause before using AFI test results as a reason to induce delivery, he adds.
"If a low AFI is the only thing determining an early intervention in a pregnancy, that is not a reason to do so," he says.
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Last edited by Neenee Jellybeanie; January 6th, 2009 at 09:51 PM.
Thanks for that information Neenee, thanks for going to all that effort. The fluid around my baby has only measured at 6cm so on the low end of the scale.
I was induced with my 1st child and had a wonderful Gas only vaginal birth so not all inductions are bad... hope all goes well ! and you will have bubs in your arms tonight!
Thinking of you, Salad. I hope all goes wonderfully well for you today.
Looking forward to reading your announcement when you are home with your beautiful baby
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Being induced Thursday
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