For a long time, amniotic fluid was thought to be entirely made up of fetal urine. All of these are nutrients that aid in the unborn baby’s growth. But around the fourteenth week, the amniotic fluid will become rich in proteins, sugars, lipids, and urea. At the beginning of the pregnancy, the amniotic fluid will contain some electrolytes and water. The actual composition of the amniotic fluid changes with the gestational stage. As the skin hardens, urine excretion begins to factor into the total volume of the amniotic sac, as does the efflux of fluid from the baby’s lungs and the reduction in his or her swallowing of fluid. This is when the linear relationship between the size of the fetus and the volume of fluid stops. By week twenty, however, the fetus’s skin begins to keratinize. These forces more or less oppose each other and therefore do not have a great impact on the sac’s volume. Two months into gestation, the fetus begins to make urine once its urethra opens, and the infant also begins to swallow. These thin surfaces are fully permeable to solutes and water. This is made possible by the bidirectional diffusion that takes place across the thin surfaces of the placenta or umbilical cord and the fetus’s skin, which has yet to harden with keratin. The water component of the amniotic fluid originates from the mother as it is pulled from her plasma. In early fetal development, the volume of fluid increases linearly with the dimensions of the fetus. This fluid largely comes from the mother’s blood plasma. This cavity fills with fluid even before the embryo can be identified, and the fill rate surpasses the growth rate of the embryo, initially. The space that comes to hold the amniotic sac is chosen at the time of embryo implantation during the first week of pregnancy. To better understand amniotic fluid, it is important to discuss its origin. But in the meantime, the lungs are allowed to grow and their sensitive linings are kept moist by the surrounding amniotic fluid.ĭevelopment of Amniotic Fluid Origin of Amniotic Fluid It will take nine months before the infant can expand its lungs to take its first breath. Fetal respiration bypasses the lungs completely for the entire pregnancy, in favor of diffusing nutrients and gases between the fetus and the mother through the placenta. The liquid itself acts as a barrier between the fetus and its surroundings that effectively cushions the baby from external jolts or blows.Īnother body system that benefits from the aqueous nature of the amniotic sac is the nascent respiratory system, specifically the lungs. Likewise, amniotic fluid envelops the fetus in a homeostatic environment where the temperature is constant and the fetus loses no warmth in the process. Motion is an essential part of the baby’s development as it encourages bone growth of the fetal limbs. The light, amorphous nature of amniotic fluid renders it the ideal medium for fetuses to move in. The importance of amniotic fluid lies in its functions. There are few evolutionary processes as important as successful fetal growth. Like most conserved processes, there has been an evolutionary drive to conserve amniotic fluid in fetal development. Other smells can be the result of infection, and you should consult a doctor if you are concerned about discharge during pregnancy. If discharge smells like urine, it is likely due to this increased pressure. Sometimes, the baby can severely increase the pressure on the bladder, causing some urine leakage. Unlike urine and other vaginal fluids, amniotic fluid has no distinct smell. You should consult a doctor if you are not certain about vaginal emissions during pregnancy. However, if the fluid is not clear it may signify problems with your pregnancy. This pressure increases with more than one baby, and women with twin or triplets are at a higher risk for a premature rupture of membranes. Some leakage may occur during a normal pregnancy, as pressure is exerted on the amniotic membranes. What Does Amniotic Fluid Look Like?Īmniotic fluid is typically a clear liquid. Amniotic levels are important to maintain, as an overflow or underflow of amniotic fluid can render disease in the infant and/or mother, as discussed below. On the other hand, at full term, or forty weeks of pregnancy, the amniotic fluid stands at around six hundred milliliters. The highest levels of amniotic fluid are present at the thirty-four-week mark with an average of eight hundred milliliters. Amniotic fluid levels notably fluctuate during pregnancy, as well.
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