Can I have a natural birth if I have too little amniotic fluid?

Pregnant women should have timely prenatal checkups in the late stages of pregnancy. If they find too little amniotic fluid during the examination, they should be alert. Too little amniotic fluid means that the fetus will gradually lose the protection of amniotic fluid, which is very harmful to both mother and child, and can easily increase the fetal mortality rate and cause respiratory hypoxia. If the baby is already full-term at this time, she should give birth in time. Let's take a look at this aspect.

Can I have a natural birth if I have too little amniotic fluid?

What needs special attention is that when there is little amniotic fluid, the pregnant woman and the fetus will lose the protection of the amniotic fluid, which may have some effects on the mother and child, leading to a significant increase in perinatal mortality. For example, when there are uterine contractions in the late pregnancy, the lack of the buffering effect of amniotic fluid will cause the uterine wall to directly compress the fetus and umbilical cord, causing serious complications such as intrauterine hypoxia, suffocation, and even death of the fetus.

If the pregnancy is full-term and the amniotic fluid is low, the pregnancy should be terminated promptly. After admission to the hospital, the doctor will clarify the cause of low amniotic fluid, especially to rule out the presence of fetal malformations and assess whether a normal delivery is possible. If fetal malformation has been ruled out, uterine contractions can be induced by stimulating the nipples while the fetal heart rate is monitored. The fetal reserve capacity can be determined by whether the fetal heart rate slows down during contractions. If there is no obvious deceleration in the fetal heart rate, you can choose to give birth naturally. During the delivery, closely observe the fetal heart rate and the progress of labor. If there are any abnormalities, a cesarean section should be performed in time.

What to do if there is too little amniotic fluid

Generally speaking, if a pregnant woman has too little amniotic fluid, the intrauterine membrane may adhere to the fetal body, causing severe fetal malformations or even limb loss. It is recommended to have regular B-ultrasound examinations and strengthen fetal monitoring, drink more water to increase the amniotic fluid index, or go to the obstetrics and gynecology department of a regular hospital before delivery for amniocentesis and injection of normal saline.

If there is too little amniotic fluid, the fetus is found to be normal after examination, and the pregnant woman has no serious complications, you can increase the amount of amniotic fluid by drinking water quickly under the guidance of a doctor. Pregnant women who are full-term and have not yet given birth and are lacking in amniotic fluid can drink 2000 ml of water within 2 hours. If the requirement is still not met, the above method can be repeated. This method is safe, effective, simple and easy.

In any case, your doctor will monitor the fetus very closely, performing frequent ultrasounds, fetal heart rate monitoring, biophysical scores, and Doppler ultrasounds. Your doctor will ask you to drink plenty of fluids, count your baby's movements, and tell your doctor right away if you notice your baby becomes less active.

Pregnant women must be able to improve the problem of oligoamniotic fluid in a timely manner. Whether they can give birth naturally depends on their physical condition at the time. The doctor will give professional guidance and advises pregnant women to analyze and consider carefully. Be especially alert to the serious harm caused by oligohydramnios and make sure to grasp the right treatment time.