Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Here is what bothers me:

That her she lives in queens and her OB is upstate
That she has what could be considered a viable baby (after 20 weeks) and no one is doing a thing about it.
That she went to a hospital and they sent her home.

I will say that I have had three experiences with this kind of thing. A coworker, a friend and a family member of a friend. 1 out of three ended well. But not one of them when it was given no hope.

Now it is possible that your friend was advised of all the health risks that are possible (probable) with delivering this early. Perhaps she is being forced to weigh whether she is emotionally/financially capable to care for the needs of this child, especially if there is a strong likelihood that their quality of life will be poor. Not everyone is equipped with handling months and months of NICU, multiple surgeries, etc.

Many prayers for your friend

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

I normally try to stay away from posts like these but here's my two cents on this: I am a high risk OB nurse and have worked in this field for many years. No NICU will touch that baby if born right now hence why I believe she is not in the hospital right now. If they can't save the baby then hospitalization is not necessary unless infection arises (yes this is harsh but this is the reality of it) Yes there are situations where women seek late prenatal care and dates are questionable and they may be further along then thought but if she has been getting regular check-ups then we're talking about 2wks away from viability. I have taken care of patients whose water have broken before that critical viable time and some are put on antibiotics, occasionally an overnight stay to see if IV fluids help but then are sent home and told that if still pregnant once they are 23wks then return to the hospital and all measures can then be taken. For the record IV fluid can increase amniotic fluid only if the low fluid level is due to dehydration. It cannot correct a hole in an amniotic sac. There is strong evidence on this yet I still see some drs fall on the tale of IV fluid increasing amniotic fluid and so society still believes this too. Only the baby can attempt to keep up fluid levels in this situation. Also once the water is broken this opens up the possibility that labor may set in soon. Babies can still grow in little to no fluid but I've seen dremendous problems arise from this condition. I've never done a study on this but the odds are most definitely not in her favor.
Despite all this I have witnessed miracles happen and it is amazing and all do to the mother's determination to keep her baby alive.
If your friend wants to keep hope my advice to her would be to keep hydrated and put herself on bedrest. Once she hits 23wks she can head to the hospital.

Oh and FYI no amniotic fluid just means ultrasound cannot record a measurable pocket of fluid. If she is still leaking then there is fluid!

Prayers for her

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Message edited 4/24/2014 10:15:10 PM.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Posted by Disneygirl

I normally try to stay away from posts like these but here's my two cents on this: I am a high risk OB nurse and have worked in this field for many years. No NICU will touch that baby if born right now hence why I believe she is not in the hospital right now. If they can't save the baby then hospitalization is not necessary unless infection arises (yes this is harsh but this is the reality of it) Yes there are situations where women seek late prenatal care and dates are questionable and they may be further along then thought but if she has been getting regular check-ups then we're talking about 2wks away from viability. I have taken care of patients whose water have broken before that critical viable time and some are put on antibiotics, occasionally an overnight stay to see if IV fluids help but then are sent home and told that if still pregnant once they are 23wks then return to the hospital and all measures can then be taken. For the record IV fluid can increase amniotic fluid only if the low fluid level is due to dehydration. It cannot correct a hole in an amniotic sac. There is strong evidence on this yet I still see some drs fall on the tale of IV fluid increasing amniotic fluid and so society still believes this too. Only the baby can attempt to keep up fluid levels in this situation. Also once the water is broken this opens up the possibility that labor may set in soon. Babies can still grow in little to no fluid but I've seen dremendous problems arise from this condition. I've never done a study on this but the odds are most definitely not in her favor.
Despite all this I have witnessed miracles happen and it is amazing and all do to the mother's determination to keep her baby alive.
If your friend wants to keep hope my advice to her would be to keep hydrated and put herself on bedrest. Once she hits 23wks she can head to the hospital.

Oh and FYI no amniotic fluid just means ultrasound cannot record a measurable pocket of fluid. If she is still leaking then there is fluid!

Prayers for her

Message edited 3/28/2012 7:44:15 AM.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Posted by ny55angel

Posted by Disneygirl

I normally try to stay away from posts like these but here's my two cents on this: I am a high risk OB nurse and have worked in this field for many years. No NICU will touch that baby if born right now hence why I believe she is not in the hospital right now. If they can't save the baby then hospitalization is not necessary unless infection arises (yes this is harsh but this is the reality of it) Yes there are situations where women seek late prenatal care and dates are questionable and they may be further along then thought but if she has been getting regular check-ups then we're talking about 2wks away from viability. I have taken care of patients whose water have broken before that critical viable time and some are put on antibiotics, occasionally an overnight stay to see if IV fluids help but then are sent home and told that if still pregnant once they are 23wks then return to the hospital and all measures can then be taken. For the record IV fluid can increase amniotic fluid only if the low fluid level is due to dehydration. It cannot correct a hole in an amniotic sac. There is strong evidence on this yet I still see some drs fall on the tale of IV fluid increasing amniotic fluid and so society still believes this too. Only the baby can attempt to keep up fluid levels in this situation. Also once the water is broken this opens up the possibility that labor may set in soon. Babies can still grow in little to no fluid but I've seen dremendous problems arise from this condition. I've never done a study on this but the odds are most definitely not in her favor.
Despite all this I have witnessed miracles happen and it is amazing and all do to the mother's determination to keep her baby alive.
If your friend wants to keep hope my advice to her would be to keep hydrated and put herself on bedrest. Once she hits 23wks she can head to the hospital.

Oh and FYI no amniotic fluid just means ultrasound cannot record a measurable pocket of fluid. If she is still leaking then there is fluid!

Prayers for her

I never thought of it that way. But, wouldn't/shouldn't the Dr at least TRY to give her IV and antibiotics instead of just telling her to wait or suggesting a D&C when the baby is obviously still alive? (Not trying to be harsh, just trying to understand)

Still that by some miracle this ends well.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Posted by maybebaby

Posted by ny55angel

I never thought of it that way. But, wouldn't/shouldn't the Dr at least TRY to give her IV and antibiotics instead of just telling her to wait or suggesting a D&C when the baby is obviously still alive? (Not trying to be harsh, just trying to understand)

Still that by some miracle this ends well.

Completely agree. Something else is going on, it doesn't make sense. I would think she would be sitting in a hospital bed until all was completely known.

I pray for your friend

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Posted by Goobster

Posted by maybebaby

Posted by ny55angel
I never thought of it that way. But, wouldn't/shouldn't the Dr at least TRY to give her IV and antibiotics instead of just telling her to wait or suggesting a D&C when the baby is obviously still alive? (Not trying to be harsh, just trying to understand)

Still that by some miracle this ends well.

Completely agree. Something else is going on, it doesn't make sense. I would think she would be sitting in a hospital bed until all was completely known.
pray for your friend

This I agree with as well. In my case, the IV fluids were the first thing they tried to see if the amniotic fluid would increase. Has this not been tried on her?

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

What a terrible thing to have to go through.

I have no advice- but many many prayers that a miracle happens and your friend has a healthy baby

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

A dear friend of the family had something that sounds similar. She was due January 2010. Early in her pregnancy she found out that she had very low amniotic fluid and it was still leaking...soon there would be none. She was hospitalized and on bedrest from about 18 weeks until 30 weeks when she delivered a beautiful/healthy baby girl in November (10 weeks early). Her daughter is now over 3 yrs old and you'd never know she was a premie.

When the doctors first told her about the amniotic fluid they told her the worst. They told her that with little to no amniotic fluid she was risking suffocating the baby and if the baby did make it there was a possibility of birth defects or missing limbs. NONE of this happened.

I wanted to give you hope that your friend and the baby may be ok.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Many prayers for your friend.

I similar thing happened to my coworker . Her water broke at 18 or 19 weeks. At that point there was no hope but the baby was still alive. She decided to let the baby be her guide. Every few days she would have an ultrasound and the baby was still alive so she kept going, all the while knowing that the baby could pass away at any moment. The baby kept holding on and when she reached 24 weeks (6 weeks after her water breaking) they hospitalized her. At 27 weeks, there were signs of infection so they delivered. The baby girl was in the Nicu or many months but now she is 5 years old and doing well!

Again, they would not do much until viability was reached but monitor the situation.

Message edited 3/28/2012 1:05:40 PM.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

many prayers for your friend

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Posted by FlowerWife

i think she needs to see about 7 other doctors down here and NOW. there is absolutely no reason that she shouldn't be in the hospital now trying to save her baby. i dont understand why she isn't getting second and third and fourth opinions and trying to do whatever she can!!! if it were me and i was told that, i would leave one office and find another dr office or even the ER. it just doesn't sound like the whole story... she leaked out all of the fluid and that's it? the pregnancy is going to be over even though the baby is still alive and kicking (literally)?! im sorry but she should be in the hospital with doctors figuring out how to save her baby. im baffled and saddened for her. tons of

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

If the doctors and hospital turned me away would put myself on bed rest. I *think* if your fluids are leaking you may sort of mitigate it by laying down- at least gravity is on ur side.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Any updates?

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Unfortunately I have a very sad update.

I will spare the details but she went into labor in the middle of the night last night. She called 911 and delivered the baby. She was able to hold him and got a picture of him as well.

She had to have surgery to remove her placenta and she is coming home tonight the last I heard from her.

I am beside myself with grief. I cannot imagine how she feels. I want to do something for her so badly. I offered to watch her DD, told her I am here for her no matter what. I don't know what else I can do. I feel so terrible.

She just found out it was a boy the day before St. Patricks Day and we were joking around naming him different Irish names. Last week she was making fun of my huge double stroller and I told her she'd have her own in a few months. Its all so surreal. I can't imagine how she is going to go on.

eta - Thank you ladies from the bottom of my heart for caring so much and talking with me and sharing your stories. I really appreciate it all so much.

Message edited 3/28/2012 7:37:26 PM.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

OMG I just spent 10 minutes reading this whole thread and I am sooo upset to hear your last update. I was really hoping there would be some miracle. This is so sad. My heart is breaking for your friend and I dont even know.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

i am so sorry to read the update and i am so sorry if my earlier post sounded harsh, it wasn't meant that way at all, i was just so sad that doctors didnt seem to be trying to help her.

to her and her family. what a devastating thing. hopefully the doctors can figure out what went wrong, and she will go on to grow her family. again, i am so sorry.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

My heart is absolutely in pieces for your friend. I cant even imagine. I was truly hoping for a miracle for her. So many prayers going out to that family.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

I am so sorry for her loss. I am sitting here in tears reading this update.



Keeping her and her angel boy in my prayers

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

OMG I just read through this thread and the update is just too awful for words I am so sorry for your friend. I would just be there for her and maybe offer to take her one year old for a few hours if you can so she can get some rest.

I am so sorry

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

Oh my heart breaks for her. I think what you told is the best thing you could say given the situation. You are a great friend.

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

so sorry to read this update ~ My heart is breaking for your friend! Many thoughts and prayers to help her get through this

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

No one should go through this...I am truly saddened by this update...many many prayers for her

Re: No amniotic fluid (very sensitive subject. Pls do not open if you are pregnant)

I'm so sorry If you need anything please FM.