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Is It Safe To Take Barley Water For Polyhydramnios?
Question: Is Barley water safe for polyhydramnios? This is our second kid. With first kid, she had emergency cerclage at 20 weeks, and GD. The kid born at 32 weeks, hale and healthy. Now, she has preventive cerclage in place (21 weeks). This time she has GD and additionally she has polyhydramnios. She is also on Glyburide. Also there is a bulging in LUS. So, wondering if Barley water would help her with polyhydramnios, thereby improving the bulging condition. What else can be done to take care of polyhydramnios?
Brief Answer:
Sugar control is most important step
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear, thanks for trusting health care magic.
Barley water has been studied and recommended and thus can be taken for benefit in prevention of polyhydramnios.
But in general best management of polyhydramnios is control of sugar levels and especially prevention of fluctuations in sugar levels.
And definitely take good amount of rest and regular antenatal visits with your gynecologist.
Take a lot of salads and water in general which will help in sugar control.
Take care.
Regards
Dr Manisha
Sugar control is most important step
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear, thanks for trusting health care magic.
Barley water has been studied and recommended and thus can be taken for benefit in prevention of polyhydramnios.
But in general best management of polyhydramnios is control of sugar levels and especially prevention of fluctuations in sugar levels.
And definitely take good amount of rest and regular antenatal visits with your gynecologist.
Take a lot of salads and water in general which will help in sugar control.
Take care.
Regards
Dr Manisha
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you. Her Sugar levels are very well under control but still polyhydramnios is not getting better. She takes the glyburide in the night for a very strict control of sugars. She tests sugar levels 4 times a day. She was hospitalized for 2 days to monitor because of her bulging and mild contractions. She was given mag sulfate and indocin just incase. We are home now, she has few contractions during the day that lasts 13 seconds. She is 25 and half weeks pregnant. We read Barley water can reduce the amniotic fluid. We also read that barley water causes contraction. We definitely want to reduce the amniotic fluid but do not want any contractions because of the bulging and cerclage. Hence we are confused if she should have barley water or not. Please let me know if you need any other information to help us out.
Brief Answer:
Avoid barley water
Detailed Answer:
Ideally barley water was used to induce contractions via decreasing the amniotic fluid levels and increasing the gut motility.
So it can be used after 34 weeks when it gets safer to use it.
But in her case as she is just 25 weeks pregnant and already having contractions it is not a good option.
So better keep taking indocin with weekly Doppler testing and of course as much rest as possible.
In case you need any suggestions in future please feel free to ask.
All the best.
Avoid barley water
Detailed Answer:
Ideally barley water was used to induce contractions via decreasing the amniotic fluid levels and increasing the gut motility.
So it can be used after 34 weeks when it gets safer to use it.
But in her case as she is just 25 weeks pregnant and already having contractions it is not a good option.
So better keep taking indocin with weekly Doppler testing and of course as much rest as possible.
In case you need any suggestions in future please feel free to ask.
All the best.
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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