What is amniotic fluid and what does it do?
During pregnancy, your budding baby is cushioned inside a fluid-filled bag (amniotic sac) in your uterus (womb). The wall of the amniotic sac is made up of two membranes i.e. the chorion and the amnion. These membranes keep your baby securely wrapped in his bag of amniotic fluid. The membranes generally burst during labor, when your baby is prepared to be born and fluid streams out. This is your waters-breaking.
Amniotic fluid:
- Guards your baby from being hurt if you have a knock-back to your tummy, or if your bump is compressed.
- Helps your baby’s lungs and digestive system to develop properly.
- Protects your baby against any septicity.
How does low amniotic fluid affect the baby?
It depends on what is triggering the low level of fluid, how little there is and how far ahead you are in your gestation. Forlornly, low levels of amniotic fluid during your first trimester and in the initial part of your second trimester result in an amplified chance of having a miscarriage or a baby who is deceased. It can also cause hitches with how your baby develops and with how well his lungs grow. However, most circumstances of low amniotic fluid transpire well into the third trimester, when no more than keeping a close eye on things is desirable. Doctors will cautiously monitor fluid levels and your baby’s progress. To keep you hydrated, you might need some natural ways for induce additional fluids in your body. Low amniotic fluid can, nevertheless, cause labor difficulties. For instance, your baby may be in a bottom-down or breech position and not have satisfactory space to change into a head-down position. If your waters have broken prematurely, you might step in premature labor. Doctors will assess the jeopardies of this happening against the risk of septicity setting in if your baby stays in your uterus. Once you are in labor, there is a greater probability of your baby becoming distressed. He might do his first poo, a blackish material called meconium into the amniotic fluid. If he huffs the meconium, it may cause him to have inhalation problems when he is born. Another issue might be that the umbilical cord getting accidentally squashed by your baby while he/she is being born.
What causes low amniotic fluid?
The most common cause of low amniotic fluid is that your waters have wrecked. Other causes consist of:
- Being more than 42 weeks pregnant.
- An issue with the placenta (placental inadequacy).
- Some specific kinds of medicines that you may be taking.
- If your baby has a congenital medical problem with kidney development.
- If one of your identical twins is not growing as healthy as he should.
How to increase amniotic fluid during pregnancy naturally?
Some tips to naturally increase the level of amniotic fluid in your body during pregnancy are:
- Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water every day. One of the simplest ways to upsurge your amniotic fluid is to make certain that you are always hydrated. When you surge the amount of water you have in your body, your amniotic fluid echelons will also increase. Drink water throughout the day and aspire to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses at a minimum.
- Consume fruits that have water contents. A remarkable way to stay hydrated while also getting good nutrients is to consume fruits and veggies that have high water concentrations. As indicated above, when you upsurge the extent of hydration your body gets, you will also surge the amount of amniotic fluid you have. Good fruits and vegetables to eat when requiring hydration embrace: Vegetables like cucumber, iceberg lettuce, celery, radishes, spinach, green peppers, cauliflower, broccoli and baby carrots and fruits such as watermelon, tomatoes, strawberries, star fruit, grapefruit and cantaloupe.
- Sidestep herbal supplements that can parch you. Some herbal supplements can act as diuretics that make you have to pass urine more. The more you go to the toilet, the likelier you are to become parched. It is very vital that you stay hydrated when you are worried about your levels of amniotic fluid. Herbal supplements to steer clear of take account of dandelion extract, celery seed, watercress and parsley.
- Avoid alcohol. If you are pregnant, you should not drink alcohol of any kind since it is not good for your baby’s health. Alcohol can also parch you and cause your amniotic fluid levels to drop.
- Do light workout frequently if your doctor has not asked you to get bed rest. You should aim to get at least 30 to 45 minutes of non-weight bearing workout each day. Workouts promote an amplified blood flow to the diverse regions in your body. If there is an augmented blood flowing in the uterus and placenta, there is also an upsurge in the amniotic fluid index and fetal urine production rate. As your baby passes more urine in the amniotic sac, the size of the amniotic fluid upturns. Workouts you should contemplate doing include swimming, walking, light hiking or water aerobics as they take all the weight of your child off of you.
