paranoid about leaking amniotic fluid (tmi)

I always seem to have damp panties and am wondering how you would know if you are leaking amniotic fluid?I see my MD wed am so will have that conversation as well, but between my weakened bladder and increased discharge I am paranoid of missing signs of an AF drip.

 

when i had katy beth i was leaking and didn't even know it...they figured it out when i had a post dates u/s (i was overdue by a week) and her fluid level was pretty low...with this pg, i've asked them to check a couple of times because when jack dropped the discharge became more and the consistency was watery...turns out with his head shoved on to my cervix there is a constant letting loose of mucus along with the other stuff..i understand the concern about leaking, and it never hurts to ask the doc to take a look...

 

I've been leaking recently, too - we rented a birthing DVD from the library and they mention that this can happen and that amniotic fluid generally has no smell or smells somewhat sweet. So (gross, I know) - sniff it. Mine smelled like urine and my OB confirmed that this can be quite common. In fact, she said "let's just hope it doesn't continue after you have the babies." :shok:

 

how often are you getting ultrasounds???

i've spent the entire pregnancy thinking i was leaking too but it always turns out to be pee or discharge related to an infection.

this may be a weird question but have you smelled it? it should be clear and odorless, from what i understand. whereas the pee will be amonia smelling and discharge will be colored and smell foul.

 

At the end of my last pregnancy I thought I was leaking fluid all day (it truly didn't smell like urine OR vaginal discharge), but my midwife did a ph test and confirmed that it was NOT amniotic fluid (I actually don't know what it was in the end -- it was part of a crazy night of being induced because I was suddenly discovered to have HELLP syndrome and they briefly couldn't find the baby's heartbeat -- so the fluid was the least of my problems at the moment!). Anyway, I'm chiming in just because you might not be able to tell by smell alone, especially if it's very watery or you're drinking a ton of water -- have your doc test the ph. Hope all is well!