Summarize the following:
The most important thing that amniotic fluid does is keep your baby safe while he or she is in the womb. It does this by cushioning your baby. It also has other functions, which include: Keeping the baby warm. Acting as a lubricant. Sometimes, some babies are born with webbed fingers and toes due to insufficient amount of amniotic fluid. Promoting proper lung and kidney development. Helping the baby move freely, which in turn lets him/her exercise the limbs and become strong. Oligohydramnios is the condition that occurs when your amniotic fluid gets very low (specifically below 300 ml). If you are concerned that you might have developed this condition, you should always talk to your doctor. If you are concerned you might develop the condition in the future, it is helpful to know what to look for. Symptoms include: Leakage of amniotic fluid. Your abdomen is smaller than you think it should be given your gestational period (how long you have been pregnant). Feeling like your baby is moving around less. Smaller than expected urine amounts when you go to the bathroom. Visible lack of amniotic fluid when you get an ultrasound. There are some conditions or factors that can predispose you to having troubles with your amniotic fluid amounts. Some of the more common reasons include: If your baby is small for his or her gestational age. If you have high blood pressure while you are pregnant (a condition called pre-eclampsia). If your placenta partially or completely peels away from your uterine wall even before the onset of delivery. This condition is known as abruptio placenta. If you are having identical twins. If identical twins share a placenta, sometimes their amniotic fluid levels become out of balance. This happens when one twin gets more blood via the placenta than the other. If you have certain medical conditions like lupus. If you are in post-term pregnancy. If your pregnancy has gone over 42 weeks, you have a higher risk of low levels of amniotic fluid due to declining placental function amniotic fluid starts to decrease by the 38th week of pregnancy. The actual volume of amniotic fluid cannot be safely measured directly so the condition is diagnosed by using ultrasounds that check the amniotic fluid index (AFI). A normal AFI range is between 5 and 25 cm.

Summary:
Understand what amniotic fluid's purpose is. Be aware of the symptoms of oligohydramnios. Be aware of the risk factors that could lead you to having low amounts of amniotic fluid. Understand that low levels of amniotic fluid can generally only be diagnosed by ultrasound.