Everything in the human body is arranged reasonably, in a pregnant woman - is no exception. For example, amniotic fluid is a unique environment in which a baby lives and develops for nine months, and which helps him to be born comfortably, safely and easily. This environment of the child is fully consistent with all his needs and carries valuable information about his health.
The fetal bladder in Latin is called "amnion", and the fluid from here was called amniotic. It is believed that her smell is very similar to the smell of mother's milk, so the baby after birth accurately determines where the mother’s breasts are.
Every pregnant woman should understand what role amniotic fluid plays and what functions they perform. In addition, she should have an idea of the pathologies that should be diagnosed and treated in time.
Functions
The baby swims in the uterus in a special shell called fetal. Together with the placenta, it forms a fetal bladder, and it, in turn, is filled with amniotic fluid.
At the very beginning of pregnancy, this fluid is produced by the cells of the fetal bladder, and in the later stages - it is additionally produced by the baby’s kidneys. He first swallows water, in the stomach it is absorbed, and then leaves the body in the form of urine.
But the fluid in the fetal bladder is approximately every 3-4 hours completely renewed. That is, the place of "recycled" waters is occupied by completely clean and updated. This kind of "cycle" occurs all 40 weeks.
But a person cannot be under water for a long time. Why does the baby develop in this particular environment? The answer is very simple. For the normal development of the baby at any stage of life, a harmonious environment is simply necessary. Water element is perfect for this role.
- Too loud sounds do not reach the child through the water.
- The temperature of the liquid is always constant, regardless of whether the mother suffers from heat or she is frozen.
- Water, together with the walls of the uterus, perfectly protects the child from shock, squeezing or jolting.
Of course, this does not mean that you can safely ski, it is dangerous, like any extreme sport during pregnancy, but yoga or gymnastics is very useful and harmless for the baby.
A child in the abdomen breathes, but not yet with lungs, but with oxygen, which enters his blood through the placenta. He will take his first breath only after birth.
In the birth process, it also does not do without water, so during labor, the baby's head presses on the cervix, helping it to open. And the waters, which are located in front of the head, significantly soften this pressure, which leads to a smoother opening.
In the pregnant woman’s body, everything is thought out, and the water is ideal for the intrauterine development of the baby.
How amniotic fluid is formed
The fertilized egg is attached to the uterus, begins to divide, the placenta, embryo, fetal membranes and the umbilical cord are formed. Fetal membranes form a bubble filled with sterile fluid. After two weeks, the bladder completely fills the entire uterus.
But where does this fluid come from? Initially, from the mother’s blood vessels, and in later pregnancy, the baby’s lungs and kidneys begin to participate in the process of water production. By the end of pregnancy, its amount reaches approximately 1.5 liters and every 3 hours it is updated.
Structure
At the ultrasound, the doctor each time evaluates the amount, transparency and color of amniotic fluid.
Determining the amount of water is necessary to diagnose the condition of a pregnant woman and a baby. If there are more or less of them at a certain period of pregnancy, then perhaps something is going wrong. However, it should be noted that this is very rare. Most often, doctors give a conclusion: "Moderate low water", which suggests that the amount of amniotic fluid slightly decreased. As a rule, additional examinations are prescribed to help establish that everything is normal with the child. In this case, oligohydramnios is a feature of pregnancy during this particular period.
At ultrasound, the doctor must determine the quality of amniotic fluid. Normally, they are clear, like clear water. But by the end of pregnancy, they may become cloudy due to the fact that they contain baby skin cells and particles of primordial lubrication, which gives a certain degree of turbidity. This is also the norm.
The composition of the liquid is 97% water, in which proteins, calcium, sodium, potassium, and chlorine are dissolved. With a thorough analysis of amniotic fluid, alkaloids, baby hair and skin cells can be found in it. In addition, the liquid contains carbon dioxide, oxygen, electrolytes, hormones, proteins, enzymes, biologically active substances, vitamins. The concentration of each element depends on the gestational age.
The volume of water increases by the end of pregnancy and reaches its maximum by the 38th week, but then begins to decrease closer to childbirth. So at the 38th week the volume of amniotic fluid is normally about 1500 ml, in comparison, at the 10th week it was only about 30 ml. A change in the volume of fluid occurs during pregnancy overtaking and with pathologies.
Research methods
In order to diagnose the course of pregnancy, the color, amount and transparency of the amniotic fluid, its hormonal, cellular and biochemical composition are very significant. Doctors in the arsenal have various methods for examining amniotic fluid.
Diagnostic Methods:
- Ultrasound Attention is paid to quantity, since a direct relationship between this indicator and the pathology of the development of pregnancy (gestosis, hyphenation, fetal hypoxia) has been identified. The amount of fluid is estimated by the size of the free areas ("pockets"). Using ultrasound, you can also evaluate the uniformity of the water, the presence of suspensions that indicate infection of the liquid.
- Amnioscopy This is an examination of the amniotic fluid and the lower part of the fetal bladder using special optical equipment - an amnioscope. This method allows you to evaluate the color of the liquid and its amount. Exercise it at the end of pregnancy.
- Amniocentesis is a puncture of the fetal bladder and amniotic fluid intake for hormonal, biochemical, immunological studies. It is carried out with the aim of assessing the condition of the fetus, it is mainly used in Rh conflict. Liquid sampling is carried out with ultrasound control. Complications can be: miscarriage, the onset of preterm birth, premature discharge of amniotic fluid, injuries to the intestines or bladder of the mother or the vessels of the fetus. It should be noted that complications are very rare. This type of diagnosis is not carried out with the threat of premature birth or miscarriage, with malformations of the uterus. After surgery, bed rest for up to a week and medications that relax the uterus are recommended.
Amniotic fluid leakage
According to statistics, every fifth pregnant woman loses a certain amount of water before the amniotic fluid ruptures. Leakage of amniotic fluid always scares the expectant mother, there is a feeling that she does not have time to run to the toilet. To independently diagnose this condition, you should tighten the muscles, urine flow can be stopped with the help of willpower, and amniotic fluid - no. Because of leakage, an infection can get to the child, therefore, at the first symptoms, you should consult a doctor.
If amniotic fluid leakage occurs before the 34th week of pregnancy, then the child has not yet fully formed the lungs, doctors will prolong the pregnancy, protecting the baby from infection with antibiotics. Mom will be prescribed medications, with the help of which the baby's lungs are fully formed, and the cervix is prepared for the birth process.
If the leakage is already accompanied by an infection, the body temperature rises, white blood cells are found in the blood test and smear, then the pregnant woman immediately begins to prepare for childbirth.
When the norm should be water
In perfect condition, the discharge of amniotic fluid occurs in the first stage of labor, when the cervix is almost open. It is at this time that the fetal bladder becomes thinner and bursts during labor. After this, the contractions intensify and the baby is born.
But this is how the ideal birth looks. However, premature discharge of amniotic fluid may occur , even before the onset of labor. What to do in this case?
It does not matter if there are contractions or they are not yet available, the field of how the water will flow away, you must go to the hospital and be closely monitored by doctors.
How do the water go?
Amniotic fluid is poured in all different ways. It can happen, like in a movie, in public transport, but without the "indicative on-screen" drama, it does not pour in. Most often, not all water comes out, but only those that are located in front of the baby’s head, and they, as a rule, are no more than 200 ml. The rest of the water is poured out only after the baby is born.
But most often, the pregnant woman feels that her underwear has become wet, and she believes that involuntary urination has occurred.
There is such an option, the amniotic fluid does not burst, but only tears and the water begins to flow in small portions. In this case, the woman only feels that her discharge has become more abundant and watery.
Amniotic fluid pregnancy pathologies
Among the pathological processes during pregnancy, there are:
- Polyhydramnios, which is characterized by the fact that the liquid begins to exceed the norm in volume. The exact amount of water is determined by the doctor on an ultrasound scan. The reasons for the development of this phenomenon are very difficult to establish, but there are groups in which the risk of getting a pathology is higher than in others: patients with diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases; having infections in any organs; with multiple pregnancy; in case of conflict in rhesus blood; large fruit; malformations of the child.
Symptoms of polyhydramnios can be shortness of breath, abdominal pain, rapid pulse, swelling of the extremities. Usually a pregnant woman is put in a hospital where she undergoes an additional examination.
- Low water is the second most common pathology for the development of pregnancy. It is characterized by an insufficient amount of fluid. The causes may be congenital kidney defects in the baby; mom’s diabetes infections in the genitals of a pregnant woman; bad habits; transferred flu; late gestosis; multiple pregnancy; post-term pregnancy.
Symptoms of oligohydramnios:
- aching stomach pains;
- painful movements of the fetus;
- weakness;
- heat.
The patient is hospitalized in the hospital and by all possible methods maintain the pregnancy, support the baby and normalize the health of the mother. Excessive activity and stressful situations are contraindicated for a woman.
Instead of a conclusion
Amniotic fluid provides metabolism between mother and baby, and also play the role of mechanical protection. They protect the baby from external influences, protect him from pressure from the walls of the uterus, they also smooth out the blow, if this occurred when the pregnant woman fell.
The fetal bladder protects the baby from infection and other negative factors. In the body of a pregnant woman, everything is thought out, and amniotic fluid is no exception.