Where does amniotic fluid come from?
Early in the pregnancy, the placenta produces amniotic fluid. Later on, about the fourth month or so, the baby’s kidneys start to work, and then the amniotic fluid is made there. Although the kidneys ultimately are responsible for filtering waste products out of the blood and making urine, amniotic fluid is not urine as we think of it. The majority of the baby’s waste products actually are transported through the placenta to the mother’s circulation and are then filtered by her kidneys. This cycle repeats on a regular basis as the baby swallows fluid and releases it through her urinary system, and so on. The baby does secrete some substances and shed fetal skin cells into the amniotic fluid. This is important because sometimes when we need to get information about the fetus’ condition, we perform amniocentesis and analyze the fluid’s contents. When your water breaks Amniotic fluid is clear, relatively odorless, and is held inside the uterus by a sac made of thin, translucent membranes.
