What happens when my amniotic fluid is low at 37 weeks pregnant?

Amniotic fluid can change levels quite often and it could come back up but if they don’t see it come back up they will probably want to induce you. If the doctor feels something needs to be done immediately they will call you before Thursday.

At 5–6 lbs, the baby is as big as any of my kids. Don’t sweat it if they have to induce. It would be much safer than allowing the baby to stay in with low Amniotic fluid.
You’ll both be fine.

@filmfann My main concern is what, if any, damage could have already been caused because of the fluid being low.

No damage to you or the baby @ItalianPrincess1217. They will monitor the baby to make certain the amniotic level doesn’t get lower. If it does, and your doctor is concerned, you will be induced.

@SpatzieLover Ok thank goodness. Inducing doesn’t scare me. Just the health of the baby. I was hoping low amniotic fluid doesn’t automatically mean birth defects or health problems.

Yes, they would probably induce you if the AFI got too low. But I don’t know for sure, it’s been years since I’ve dealt directly with this.

Oligohydramnios (Wikipedia)

Not to scare you, but there are some things that could be wrong with the baby with low amniotic fluid. They are very rare though (usually kidney or bladder issues). It can also be because your placenta is no longer producing enough fluid or if you are leaking amniotic fluid. It’s more likely that the baby was in the midst of drinking some of the fluid, so it was in the baby’s belly or bladder instead of outside around the baby (so just bad timing of when you got the ultrasound done).

I was induced back in May because of having no fluid at one of my scans. Like the technician told you, most likely they will want to monitor you regularly to check your fluid levels (I was going twice a week from when they discovered the low fluid until when it had dropped to none at all and they decided to induce). My low fluid was due to placenta failure and my son also had some growth restriction as well because of the placenta failing (he was under 5 pounds at birth and that was at almost 37 weeks (36w5d when he was born).

To help your fluid level, drink lots of water (2L a day and more if you can) and rest as much as you can. Avoid caffeine and other natural diuretics. Personally, I’d call your doctor today instead of waiting until your appointment. Ask what they recommend (some doctors may recommend bed rest for this) and when you go to your appointment ask them if they can check to see if you are leaking any fluid (especially if you feel like you might be having some leaking).

Now, all that being said, even at under 5lbs and having no fluid at my last scan, my son was fine overall. He did have to go to the NICU for some breathing, but that was related to the growth restriction and not the low fluid level alone. He was basically a 34 week baby instead of a 36 weeker.

As far as risks/concern with the low amniotic fluid, the biggest concern is for during labor and delivery because the cord can get compressed which would cut off blood flow to the baby. They should do non-stress tests along with the fluid scans to be sure the baby is doing okay. When the time comes for you to deliver, depending on how your baby is doing and how your fluid is doing, you may be able to have a vaginal deliver or, if the baby is starting to looked stressed, they may say a cesarean section is necessary.

I’m sorry if this scares you. When I was diagnosed with the low fluid, I did a lot of research and spoke with several OBGYNS to be sure I was being taken care of properly to best protect my son, so I learned a lot about it. I hope it helps some. Remember, in most cases, everything is fine. It’s rare for something to be wrong.

@Seaofclouds GA! Thank you so much. I like to be educated on the issue so no worries, you didn’t scare me.