My sister is having horrible problems with her pregnacy at the current time. The fluid around the baby is almost totally gone, and when that happens, it will be over. What I am asking now, is this…
…is there any type of procedure that can “replace” the fluid that has been lost, in order to save the baby. If you need to know, my sister is twenty weeks in, so there you go. Any and all help will be appriciated, thanks!
I’m sorry for the stress and worry your sister and your family must be going through right now.
I’d suggest that you email a mod and ask them to move this thread to GQ - your questions aren’t mundane or pointless, and I’m sure that a few of our resident medicos will drop by to point you towards factual resources.
Best wishes to you all.
Thanks a lot for your good wishes. I didn’t know if this would qualify for being in that other forum, so I plugged it here. I know how strict the mods can be here at times.
Gosh that is sad, being about halfway through the pregnancy too! I t was my understanding that amniotic fluid is naturally recharged so to speak but if her membranes have ruptured then birth is imminent but I think sometimes even then birth can be delayed and care taken to prevent internal infection. 20 weeks gestation is pushing the envelope on preemies. But there have been good outcomes in some cases. Best wishes to you and yours!!
I’m not sure this is going to be completely helpful, but it seems to match the key item: low amniotic fluid.
Cite.
If you need more help, feel free to have your sister contact me at senatesimerlidh@netscape.net (other address fills up with spam WAY too fast, and this is quite literally a matter of life and death, or so it seems from the OP), and I’ll put her in touch with my father, who’s an RN.
I hope this won’t violate the board’s copyright rules …
"While in labor, a doctor may replace the lost fluid by infusing warm saline into the uterus. This decreases the risk of fetal distress. However, cautions Roberts, oligohydramnios can be the sign of more serious problems, such as a baby with kidney disease. A large part of the amniotic fluid is comprised of baby’s urine and if low levels are not caused by a membrane leak, it means not enough amniotic fluid is being manufactured by the baby’s kidneys or that it is not being released by the bladder and urethra.
“It could be that baby is not making much fluid or there is an obstruction in the urinary tract,” Roberts says.
According to the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, other more serious causes can include a congenital heart defect, or uterine placenta that is not supplying enough blood to baby.
Either way, it is a condition that can be lethal, because Baby needs adequate fluid to develop lungs.
“Without enough amniotic fluid, Baby can’t make the transfer from umbilical cord to breathing air,” Roberts says. The lungs are in their greatest stage of development between 16 and 25 weeks, but each day they have to mature in adequate amniotic fluid means greater function."
Best of luck.
FWIW, the email from my father (when I emailed him what specifics there were):
“As long as there is not an amniotic leak, this is not a problem. It’s not like polyhydramnios, which puts pressure on the baby’s brain. If she is under a competent obgyn’s care, they should be able to take care of it. I don’t know what the procedure is.”
Best advice I can give is for your sister to go to a competent ob/gyn/medical staff who can do a thorough diagnosis and figure out the cause of the lack of fluid.
IANAD (or anyone whose medical opinion should really be considered a whole helluva lot).
So what’s up? Hoping against hope that mom and baby are okay…
I know nothing about the medical aspect of your sister’s problem, I just wanted to wish her the best of luck an hope that the problem isn’t all that serious. Keep us posted on what her doctor says and what happens, and let her know hundreds of strangers are wishing her their best.
This happened to my mother in law in 1965.
The resulting baby is my very healthy and intellegent husband, born full term. So there is hope.
Best wishes.
Thanks for your help, and showing of concern. As of now nothing has changed, and we are all just hoping, wishing, and praying that they both make it. I will update you all over time, if you like.