

When fetal kidneys begin to function around week 16, fetal urine also contributes to the fluid. It is generated from maternal plasma, and passes through the fetal membranes by osmotic and hydrostatic forces.


Check the color/AppearanceĪmniotic fluid is normally clear, and it can have white specks (vernix) and be tinged with stringy, bloody bits of mucus. When you get up from standing or change positions, these are often times when a little bit of fluid will leak out. So, if there is a question, we advise people to put on a pad and keep an eye on it. One reliable way to tell if it’s amniotic fluid is that it will keep leaking. Vaginal discharge will probably be odorless, but even if it has an odor, it won’t smell like urine.

Urine will have an ammonia smell, whereas amniotic fluid may be odorless, or have a sweet or earthy odor. This may seem obvious, but it is pretty easy to tell by smelling whether or not the fluid in question is urine. Here are a few ways to tell the difference: Amniotic Fluid Will Not Smell Like Urine This one can be tricky, and can have you questioning whether it’s amniotic fluid, vaginal discharge, or whether you have leaked urine. So, what does it look like if you are one of the people who starts labor with water breaking? In some cases, it is an obvious gush of fluid that runs down your legs or soaks the bed, but often it is that little leak mentioned above. Labor contractions are likely not to start for awhile after the water starts leaking – in these scenarios, it may take awhile for the hormone signals to get where they need to go to start the work of getting the baby out. And when the water does break before labor, it is very often a little trickle. First of all, for most people, the bag of waters does not break until well into labor, probably close to the end. In reality, this scenario rarely happens.
AMNIOTIC FLUID LEAK ON PAD TV
When we see birth depicted in TV and movies, labor often begins with a dramatic breaking of waters, followed immediately by the laboring person bending over and moaning with intense contractions, announcing, “It’s time!”, and then being whisked off to the hospital to have the baby.
