If you're experiencing excess saliva during pregnancy, rest easy: It's normal to have more saliva when you're pregnant, and the condition won't affect your baby. You may have more saliva due to nausea, hormonal changes, heartburn, or certain irritants.
Is it common to leak urine during pregnancy? For many women, urine leakage (incontinence) is a common during pregnancy or after giving birth. As your body changes throughout pregnancy to accommodate a growing baby, the bladder can be placed under pressure. This is normal for many women during pregnancy.
Although people generally produce more saliva during the day and less at night, saliva production continues during sleep. This saliva performs the important task of keeping your mouth and throat lubricated which is required for good health. Continued saliva production during sleep makes drooling possible.
In addition, drooling may be an indication that you're hitting the required quality of sleep. Of all the sleep stages, REM sleep is most associated with higher sleep quality. This means that an individual who gets more rapid-eye-movement sleep is prone to being more relaxed and rested upon waking.
Drooling in your sleep is either due to making too much saliva, breathing with your mouth open and having saliva escape, or having difficulty swallowing. It can occur for a variety of reasons, including sleep position, pregnancy, as a side effect of medications, as well as certain conditions.
Causes of excessive saliva
As with most things in pregnancy, your hormones are to blame for excessive saliva (Freeman et al, 1994). It can also be caused by pregnancy sickness, as nausea can make women try to swallow less, especially in those with hyperemesis gravidarum (extreme morning sickness).
Signs of leaking amniotic fluid
Leaking amniotic fluid might feel like a gush of warm fluid or a slow trickle from the vagina. It will usually be clear and odorless but may sometimes contain traces of blood or mucus. If the liquid is amniotic fluid, it is unlikely to stop leaking.
You can tell whether you're leaking amniotic fluid and not urine by taking the sniff test: If it doesn't smell like ammonia, it's more likely to be amniotic fluid. If it has an ammonia scent, it's probably urine. If it has a somewhat sweet smell, it's probably amniotic fluid.
The easiest way to determine if it is amniotic fluid, urine, or discharge is to put on clean, dry underwear and a pad or panty liner. Then lie down for about a half hour. If the fluid is amniotic fluid, it will pool or gather in the vagina while you lie down.
Excessive salivation can start suddenly, about two or three weeks after you conceive. It's thought to be caused by pregnancy hormones changing how your salivary glands work. The nerves that control salivation are more stimulated than usual.
Medical experts specifically recommend that pregnant women sleep on their left sides. This ensures your uterus doesn't put pressure on your liver, which is on your right side. Also, circulation is better when you sleep on your left side—there's better blood flow to your baby, uterus, and kidneys.
Background. Many physicians advise pregnant women to sleep on their left side. Previous studies have linked back and right-side sleeping with a higher risk of stillbirth, reduced fetal growth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure disorder that affects the mother.
During the third or last trimester, some women experience water retention in their face, and this leads to swelling of the nose.
Amniotic fluid should be odorless. Contact your healthcare provider if you notice a foul smell as it could be meconium-stained or mean there is an infection.
You should call your doctor or midwife or go in immediately if: You are preterm (less than 37 weeks gestation) and suspect PPROM. You have an amniotic fluid leak and feel feverish. The fluid is yellow in color, or tinged greenish, suggesting meconium.
In a few rare cases, however, amniotic fluid leakage ceases, amniotic fluid volume is restored, and pregnancy continues until term.
In general, it looks like water, but there are exceptions. Sometimes amniotic fluid is green or brown when meconium (stool passed by the baby) is present. It can also appear white-flecked as a result of mucus. And when blood is present, amniotic fluid may appear red-tinged.
Believe it or not, one of the most common reasons people come to the maternity unit is because they're leaking something. Most of the time, it's not amniotic fluid but— you guessed it—pee. When you've got a baby pressing on your bladder, sometimes it leaks.
If the fluid is your water breaking, it should come out when you stand. Note the color, the amount and the smell. This can also help you decide if it's amniotic fluid, pee or vaginal discharge. Only your healthcare provider can confirm if your water has broken with a vaginal exam, nitrazine paper or litmus paper.