Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Possible Mild Polyhydramnios

I had my regular OB/GYN appointment today, and I made sure to bring up the fact that on my last growth scan, my amniotic fluid levels were in the 95th percentile - in other words, I've got a generous amount of amniotic fluid. You'd think this was a great thing to have, better than not having enough fluid, and indeed that is true. But with everything else in pregnancy, there can be too much of a good thing.

Dr. R went over the results of the scan and as it turns out, my fluid levels are actually in the 97th percentile. And anything over the 95th percentile yields a diagnosis of polyhydramnios. What I seem to have is a very mild case of it, and thank goodness for that, because acute cases come with a whole holy host of possible problems. I'm trying very hard not to worry, but it's difficult to keep my anxieties at bay.

I was really hoping that Dr. R would say, "Oh it's nothing, don't worry, forget about it." But that's not exactly what happened. She did say that I shouldn't worry, but quickly added that she'd like to send me for another scan to monitor the fluid levels. I certainly appreciate her covering all our bases, but I really was hoping that she'd just say my fluid levels were normal. So, I have another scan booked to check how my amniotic fluid levels are faring next Tuesday. And if you've been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I'll be laden with anxiety and worry until then. If you can send a good thought my way for good results, I'd really appreciate it.

Other than that, my appointment went well and was quite standard. Baby girl's heart rate was 147 and blood pressure normal. Oh yeah - and this is funny - at my growth scan they recorded Maya's fetal measurements (head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length, etc.). Dr. R pointed out that Maya's already got a bit of a buddha belly. All measurements were totally within normal limits, but her tummy measured a bit on the big side. Dr. R said that it looks like she'll be a "round" baby. I do love my little chubster so very much!

7 comments:

Jill Tice said...

Hang in there honey! You have made it this far and you don't have much longer to go until you are loving on that chubby baby girl. :o)

Hugs from Illinois!

Mazzy said...

You are almost there, Hil. Don't get too worried now, I am sure it will be just fine.
I will be praying for you though, just in case. ;)
*hugs*

LOVE U!

AwkwardMoments said...

sending my thoughts to you for your anxiety!

The specialist told me hte same thng about MT - I think that water(amniotic fluid) makes them seem a lil more chuckier then then really are - but what do i know ;)

RBandRC said...

Hang in there, Hillary! Praying for the best! :) HUGS!

sarah23 said...

I hope the fluid numbers get back to normal next time (or at least stay about the same). I bet everything will be OK, though. :)

Anonymous said...

It's odd to say that I'm happy to have found your post, maybe it's better to say I'm somewhat relieved.

My wife and I just had a visit yesterday for our 32-week ultrasound and the doc pointed out exactly what you have described. 97th percentile, or around 27cm in the AFI. 25cm is in the 95th percentile. He also assured us that it was nothing to worry about, because everything else looked normal.

I've found this article by a midwife yesterday. It's helped a lot:

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/polyhydr.html

I'm not a doc by any means, but I will point out a few things. We got the polyhydramnios diagnosis during a monthly ultrasound (we have been being monitored since a previous ultrasound found an off-center umbilical on the placenta). During this ultrasound he also imaged, as they routinely do, the bladder, stomach, and kidneys in the baby.

These scans revealed that these internal organs were all normal, which helps to rule out any significant digestive track issues, which can be the culprit in severe cases of polyhydramnios, I'm told.

Our baby girl also is measuring a bit big for 32 weeks. She measured in the ultrasound at 4lbs. 9oz.

If you haven't gotten these scans, I would ask the doctor. If anything, it would help to put your mind at ease.

Hang in there, you're almost done!

Anonymous said...

Whoops, duh, correct date, wrong year. Congratulations on the baby girl! Seems you've helped me today, not the other way around.

Anxiously awaiting our upcoming doc visits....