The amniotic fluid is an active biological environment in which the future baby develops in the mother's body. Also this medium is called an amniotic fluid, since it fills an amniotic bubble - the envelope that surrounds the fetus. There is an opinion that the odor of amniotic fluid resembles the smell of mother's milk, and this is what helps the newly born baby to easily find the mother's breast.
Composition and volume of amniotic fluid
The volume of amniotic fluid directly depends on the period of pregnancy of the baby's mom. For example, in the tenth week of pregnancy, the volume is 30 ml on average, at the thirteenth to fourteenth week the volume is 100 ml, on the eighteenth week - 400 ml. The maximum volume of amniotic fluid is noted at 37-38 weeks of gestation: from 1000 ml to 1500 ml. That is, the norm of amniotic fluid should be judged, taking into account the duration of pregnancy. At the end of pregnancy, the volume of amniotic fluid may decrease and amount to approximately 800 ml.
Now let's see how the amniotic fluid is refreshed. In the normal course of pregnancy, approximately 500 ml of amniotic fluid is exchanged for 1 hour. Absolute renewal of amniotic fluid occurs every three hours.
The composition of amniotic fluid includes many components. Each component is important for the normal development of the fetus. The main component, of course, is water, which contains carbohydrate-containing substances, proteins, mineral salts, fats, hormones, enzymes, immunoglobulins.
But with the growth of the baby in the amniotic fluid, in addition to these components, fetal urine, epithelial cells of the skin, secrets of the sebaceous glands, hair cells begin to appear. The concentration of components depends on the period of pregnancy. But the quantity and quality of the amniotic fluid for various reasons can vary, which can lead to low water or polyhydramnios.
In order to determine the volume of amniotic fluid, special calculations are made. The index of amniotic fluid is calculated on ultrasound. According to indexes of amniotic fluid, one can judge the amount of amniotic fluid.
Color amniotic fluid
According to departed amniotic fluid, you can get a lot of information about the condition of the crumbs. Let's try to understand what the color of amniotic fluid notifies.
Yellow color of amniotic fluid. If a woman has a slightly dull amniotic fluid or a yellow color, then there is no cause for concern. This is exactly the color they should be.
Yellow color of amniotic fluid with red veins. If you notice the red veins in the departed waters, but feel well and start to feel the fights, then you need not be frightened. Basically, these veins indicate the opening of the cervix.
Dark brown color of amniotic fluid. Unfortunately, almost always this color indicates that the intrauterine death of the baby has come. In this case, care must be taken to save the mother's life.
Red color of amniotic fluid. This color alerts you of a serious danger, both for the child and for the mother. This color indicates that the mother or the baby started bleeding, and the blood got directly into the amniotic fluid. This is a rare case, but if it happened, you should immediately call an ambulance, and then take a horizontal position and do not move.
The amniotic fluid is green. In this case, the forecasts are disappointing, since this color means serious problems for the baby. Why amniotic fluid green is easy to explain. Green color occurs if the volume of amniotic fluid was too small or intrauterine defecation occurred. Therefore, if you notice that the water is green, try to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
Aspiration of meconium of amniotic fluid
Aspiration of amniotic fluid occurs when meconium enters the amniotic fluid. Meconium in the amniotic fluid is the first chair of the child, when the baby defecates while still in the mother's womb. It happens that during childbirth the child swallowed the amniotic fluid, along with which meconium got into his respiratory tract. Such cases are quite common, so do not worry too much, because the newborn is provided with timely help and usually everything ends safely.
Easy for you childbirth and healthy babies!