complications from low fluid? ?

[jennayoung99]

So this question was from my sister. She wanted me to find out any information about complications due to low fluid.

She had low fluid wih her dd and they told her that she had to have a c section because having low fluid could cause the placenta to over contract, and with out the cushion of water could squish the baby.

Now from the info and research I have done over the 5 years since then, I'm not sure how much truth was actually in that. It confused me because I have heard of many women whose water had broke even days before going into labor and this wasn't even talked about.

So anyways, because she had this issue with her first she is worried about it happening with this pregnancy. She was hoping to find out some factual info on the subject, to ease her mind and help her make a decision if this issue does come up. Any links would be helpful as well. Thanks for any help you could give me to relay to her.

[RunawayBunny]

I dont have any links, but in my birth class with DS I was told that low fluid could lead to the cord becoming compressed and put baby in distress. A friend of mine just had a c-sec because of low fluids though I dont know how low they were. I was induced for low fluids at almost 41 weeks, but I dont recall how low I was either.

[3 ladybugs]

You didn't talk about gestation, but it can cause issues with lung development. I had triplets at 24 weeks and the reason I lost my daughter was because her lungs were under developed for 24 week gestation because of low fluid level at birth. My sons died for different reasons but they too had low fluid level at birth.

[jennayoung99]

Oh sorry her dd was 37 weeks. I know there are a multitude of reasons to be concerned with low fluid and fetal development, what I'm asking about is low fluid during delivery at full gestation.

[qsefthuko]

Originally Posted by RunawayBunny I dont have any links, but in my birth class with DS I was told that low fluid could lead to the cord becoming compressed and put baby in distress. A friend of mine just had a c-sec because of low fluids though I dont know how low they were. I was induced for low fluids at almost 41 weeks, but I dont recall how low I was either.

This is what happened to my first child. My daughter had heart decells down to 40 beats a minute, coming back up very slowly. I had planned a midwife attended home birth. My midwife was checking on baby's heart rate during contractions when she caught the decells. Because it didn't come back up past 100 even with concerted effort on our part we transported. The doctor broke my water to attatch a fetal heart monitor. Because of the extreme low fluids she thought my waters had already broken. I had had no leakage though. We wound up in an emergency c section. My husband was given warnings to expect a severely compromised infant in need of serious resucitation and the very real possiblility she might not make it at all. When born she was covered in meconium but otherwise needed only minor help. I think we were pretty fortunate in that.

If I understand correctly when the waters break the baby's head drops down blocking the flow of waters. This allows leakage but generally speaking the majority of the waters inside the uterus is trapped behind baby protecting things inside. This is why it generally isn't an issue.

[3 ladybugs]

I would think that at 37 weeks you could also have issues with lung development. My living son was born at 38 weeks and had normal fluid but still had slightly premature lungs. Then again I may just have children with weak lungs. Can't tell now though! Ds can SCREAM!

[songbird516]

http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=5294

There is no evidence that isolated oligohydramnios at term is a risk factor for poor outcomes. However, induction for isolated oligohydramnios leads to higher Cesarean rates.

I think it's way overdiagnosed. Just another reason to avoid ultrasounds later in pregnancy. Many women do not get ultrasounds and so are never diagnosed and their babies are fine. I did not have a large amount of fluid with either baby during the birth, so who's to say if I would have been diagnosed? It's such a difficult measurement to make anyway...also....I just don't understand induction for low fluid when 1/2 the time the first thing they do is BREAK THE SAC, resulting in NO fluid. Just doesn't make sense to me.

[jennayoung99]

Thanks for the info everyone. She's going to her dr on tuesday and will have a lot of questions. I think her first dr scared the crap out of her by saying that low fluid would cause her body to kill her baby. Its pretty much caused her to fear her body entirely. Thanks again!