Low Amniotic Fluid

Hello,

I am so sorry to hear that you are having problems with your pregnancy. That is the last thing we ever expect or want to hear.

When I was 16 weeks pregnant with my second child, my cervix started to open. We were told there was nothing the doctor could do, that I would lose the pregnancy. A different doctor came on call a few hours later and offered us a shred of hope. She was able to stitch my cervix shut and I was put on complete hospital bedrest. A week later, we found out that I had lost virtually all of my amniotic fluid (the doctor thought it had leaked away without me noticing). Like you, I was told that the best option was to terminate the pregnancy. My child would never breathe, would have all kinds of birth defects, etc. We chose to continue with the pregnancy even though the likelihood I would lose the baby before or shortly after birth was so high.

I drank several liters of water a day for the next 11 weeks. At 20 weeks, my baby girl was diagnosed with clubbed feet due to the low fluid level. At 24 weeks, I was given the steroid shots to help develop the baby's lungs, even though I still had virtually no amniotic fluid. At 25 weeks, an ultrasound showed that the amniotic fluid level was slightly higher. At 26 weeks, I had a low-side-of-normal amniotic fluid level. And at 27 weeks, my water broke a second time and I delivered my baby girl.

My baby girl is a fighter. She was immediately put on a ventilator to help her breathe. Less than 3 days later, she was off the vent. We had our ups and downs in the NICU, which is to be expected, but she pulled through. Two weeks before her due date, my baby girl came home from the hospital....no oxygen, monitors, or medicines needed. We spent a year treating her clubbed feet, but she was walking normally by the time she was 15 months old.

My little girl is now a healthy 6 year old. She has mild asthma (as do I) and is small for her age (as am I). Other than that, she has no lingering effects from her early birth. I have often thought about taking her to visit that first doctor who told us there was no hope. She is my little miracle girl.

Hang in there. This is a long and difficult road. I can't tell you how many times I cried during my pregnancy or how many times I felt completely hopeless. Believe me when I say that as long as your baby has a heartbeat, there is hope. The doctors can give us their best guess as to what will happen, they can give us the odds, but they have no way to know how *our child* is going to do. Only time can show that.

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Mary

Hello Ladies and thank you all for the advice and support that you all have given me threw this hard time. As you have read this has not been an easy road for me and I haven't updated on my story not because I did not want to but it has just been a unreal roller coaster ride that I have been threw since my second ultrasound that I had on the 17th of January.

On the 19th of January I went for my second opinion to one of the top hospitals with the best NICU Department in Chicago, I was so hopeful that they could give me some hope but after my ultrasound and the doctor looking at everything she told me the same thing. My heart at that moment felt break more. Considering everything that the first doctors told us me and my husband knew what we wanted to do. After the second opinion it became clear to us that if we really loved our baby we would not want it to suffer. Even though the doctors said your baby is breathing and getting its nutrition from you....How can they assure me my Baby isn't hurting or suffering and struggling to catch its breath. My Husband and I came to a decision to induce the pregnancy.

That same day after my consultation my husband, mom, and myself walked to labor and delivery at 7pm. They put something inside me to help me start dilating.... Exactly the name I can't remember but they put five of them inside my vagina. One thing I do remember before they even started the process the doctor told me that I was already dilating, just starting to open up a little bit. At that moment it became clear to me that my baby wasn't okay inside me no more and if I had not chosen this I would have just had a miscarriage.

At 12am thats when it all started. I knew that it would only take either a few or several hours before I would start getting into labor. After my body could not take no more pain and my husband was just tearing up because of the pain I was in at 1:30pm I got some pain medicine threw my ivy. After the medicine kicked in I was okay til 3:30pm when I just got real bad contractions to the point where the medicine was not enough. I felt a urge to push but I had to wait for the doctor's and nurses to come. When they all came and had what they needed for labor they told me to start pushing......At that moment I started crying and I yelled its not that im not ready to push I am just not ready to see my baby die!!!!!

At 3:45 I gave birth to a baby boy that we baptised with the name of XAVI. After Xavi was born the nurse wrapped him in the blanket and I heared her say there is a heart beat. they gave him to me and I did skin to skin while I held him. At first I was very emotional and crying histeractly.....But My mom told me to calm down and after that I realized that I needed to calm down because I needed to be with my son and spend as much time as I can with him for the time that I have him. Does few minutes that I had with Xavi I will never forget and I will always cherish does few minutes for the rest of my life. At 4pm thats when my baby boy left his daddy and I and went to heaven.

His name is Xavi just how my husband and I wanted. Til that moment we did not know he was our Xavi but his dad knew from day one that he was our baby boy. I know he is in a better place and that he is the angel that will be looking down on me and my husband but this all seems still so unreal. No matter all the pain I go threw and all the complications I have had after delivery it is all worth it to me because I got to hold my son and see his beautiful face. He had my nose and ears His dads lips, cheeks and exactly the same shape of his dads toes and fingers.

No one can take the time I had with my son. I know I have to move pass this but I can never forget how half way threw my pregnancy from what I thought was a pregnancy going good went so bad. In 10 days my life got turned upside down from what I thought the 10th of January would be a happy moment to find out the sex of our child we come to find out that I had low amniotic fluid.Ten days later I gave birth to my baby who was born on January 20th and passed away a few minutes later. We buried Our first child our Baby boy Xavi on the 28th of January.

I will never forget everyone that read my story and was here for me threw this hard time.... It has just been so difficult for me and I apologize for not keeping you all updated. I wish things would be different and my story had a different ending but god does things for a reason and he chose to take my son and have him next to him as an Angel..... It will take take and it won't be easy but threw this hard time I have met so many ppl that have lend a hand in this time of need and that only makes me want to give back and help all those who have helped me.

Thank you all Xochitl R.

Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry for the loss of your little guy Xavi. I was so hoping that he would beat the odds. That decision must have been so hard for you, but you're right it does sound as if your body was already preparing to make the decision for you. I'm glad that you got to spend those precious few minutes with your special guy loving on him. Please don't feel bad for not updating us, you needed some time to take care of you. I hope that his funeral was a peaceful day for you and that you felt his presence all around you. Please feel free to come back here any time you need any support from us. We're here for you whenever you need. Many many hugs to you.

Stacy

Thank you stacy.....It was peaceful but I could not help the tears and pain that I had. All I felt in that moment is I don't want my baby to leave me and why did this happen to us. I know his spirit is in heaven but I could not help in saying that because he was physically there. I held him for the last time that day and when I kissed him he was as warm as the day he was born. He will always live in me and That makes me happy. I will see him again one day and I know the feeling will be like the first time I met and held him.

I am so sorry for your loss of your sweet Xavi. I also held my baby as she died and you are so right that you will always cherish those moments. Please know that we are here for you as you navigate the difficult journey of grieving your son.
Thinking of you.
Marissa

I am sorry for the loss of Xavi. There is nothing that can prepare you for the loss of your baby. I also made a decision to be induced at 30 wks, cause no matter what I did the outcome would have been the same. It is the hardest thing to be asked to deliver your baby when you know he will pass. My son Baron lived for 30 min and i held him the whole time. It is those few moments almost 2 yrs later that I cherish so much. I hope you find some peace in knowing that Xavi knew only his parents love his whole life.
We are all here for you to help you thru the pain. Remember to take it easy on yourself.
Thinking of your family
Brooke