When Things Don’t Go As Planned Series – Prolonged Rupture of Membranes and Induction of Labour
Welcome and thank you for listening!
In this episode we interviewed Mona, who is a stylist and personal shopper and resides in Jeffreys Bay with her husband and two girls. She’s passionate about fashion, people and Jesus. Her mission is to help women feel confident and beautiful in their own skin, solving the problem of having a cupboard full of clothes, but nothing to wear.
Mona has given birth twice and because of the support and education she was given as a pregnant mom (being someone who only knew c-section as an option) she is very pro ‘natural’ birth.
With her second pregnancy, she had planned for a home birth guided by her Doula. However when the time came, her Amniotic fluid started leaking without any contractions, which meant her birthing plans quickly had to change.
Amniotic Fluid Leaking
Amniotic fluid can vary quite a lot in quantity. Basic guidelines are:
- 500–1,500 by the end of pregnancy is considered normal
- Less than 300ml is called oligo-hydramnios and is cause for concern
- More than 1,500ml is called poly-hydramnios and needs further investigation
Leaking amniotic fluid during pregnancy is dangerous because it can lead to the amniotic waters becoming infected and possible infecting Baby too. It’s quite common to leak urine during pregnancy, and this can be confused with amniotic fluid. Generally urine leaks when:
- The muscles around the bladder are lax – often made worse by the increased levels of the progesterone hormone
- There is increased pressure, like when you laugh, cough, or sneeze
Baby Is Pressing Against Your Bladder
It’s important to check that it’s just urine and not amniotic fluid which is dripping from a small tear in the amniotic membranes. Your doctor will test the pH for acidity/alkalinity to determine whether it’s urine or amniotic fluid.
What You Can Do
You can help to avoid urine incontinence by:
- Doing frequent pinching exercises with your perineal muscles and your buttock area
- Using the tissue salt remedies Calc fluor and Ferrum phos to help with ligament and other tissue strength
- Avoiding and treating constipation
- Doing exercises for overall body tone after birth to promote complete recovery
