Is it important for you to shave your legs before the big day? What is preferable: an episiotomy or a tear? Enable a delivery nurse to teach you what you need to know but are afraid to ask. Does amniotic fluid smell like ammonia, for example?
What's the difference between amniotic fluid and regular discharge?
How do you say the difference between normal discharge (which for all of us is even worse than when we're not pregnant) and amniotic fluid leakage? Vaginal discharge is usually creamy, mucousy, or sticky, and it doesn't smell bad. Amniotic fluid is typically watery and transparent, but it may also be black, orange, or have white specks. It's generally quick to differentiate between discharge and amniotic fluid, but it's more difficult to distinguish between amniotic fluid and urine.
One of the most famous reasons people visit the maternity unit is that they're leaking stuff, believe it or not. It's usually not amniotic fluid, but— you knew it—pee. When you have a baby rubbing against your bladder, it will burst. Can amniotic fluid smell like ammonia?
- Put on a pad and ask yourself these questions if you start leaking fluid?
- Is it colourless or does it have a tint to it?
- Is there a foul odour or does it smell like urine?
- Is it only when I chuckle, cough, or hop on the trampoline that it happens?
- Is it possible to save the leak by pressing my muscles down below?
It's actually urine if it looks like pee, smells like pee, and you can avoid it by squeezing muscles or jumping off the trampoline. If not, it's likely that it's amniotic fluid. It may also be urine, so please contact your doctor or midwife. True amniotic leaks are uncontrollable, normally continue leakage after they begin (but not always), are typically transparent (with the exception of meconium), and can or may not be preceded by contractions.
If your discharge is different from what you're used to, let your doctor or midwife know. Call if you're confused. When you have a big spill, your jeans will be saturated, your car seat or couch will be soaked, you will make a splash in the grocery store, and you will have no concerns. In any case, call the doctor or midwife to brace for labour.
Many women say they don't want an episiotomy, and most doctors and midwives don't do them on a regular basis. They save that for when the perineum (vaginal tissue) simply won't stretch any further and they have to get the baby out right away. After that, they make a snip, and distribution is normally fast.
