I need the wisdom of Mumsnet please. Waters breaking in bed - is this common?

[ChampagneSupernova]

Okay so this one of those questions that I'm quite about - but at antenatal classes my teacher was saying how birth is v instinctive and we tend to go for the safest opportunity and often we go into labour at night (and nocturnal animals do it during the day)

Also, my friend was saying that every night when she was 39+ weeks she'd go to bed convinced that "tonight was the night".

So what I'm thinking is that my waters could break at night and so I should get a mattress protector in case.

Or is this just worrying PFB behaviour??

Appreciate the wisdom of Mumsnet on this one.

[policywonk]

Hmm. Have no frickin idea to be honest. With DS1 my waters went after a couple of hours of labour (so was awake anyway), and with DS2 they didn't break until he was actually delivered.

No use am I

bump

[littlerach]

Mine didn't break the first time.
the second time they broke as I needed to push.

Wouldn't hurt to get a mattress protector.

[manamana]

mine went 4am, had already planned ahead (thanks to NCT classes) and was sleeping on couple of old towels which did the trick.

[Othersideofthechannel]

My waters broke in bed with no.2 although it was a gradual thing (can't remember the technical term) so a couple of old towels under the sheet on my side was sufficient to prevent any damage.

I would get a mattress protector just in case. Will come in useful when your baby is a toddler who has thrown up all over all its own bedding and spare bedding and has to come in with you....

[CatIsSleepy]

wouldn't do any harm to get one-or maybe old towels as manama suggested.
my waters broke at 5.30am.
it was a week early and we were staying with my sister-she had actually given up her bed for me and dh
was weird though, I woke up just before it happened and felt something weird going on and leapt straight out of bed so I don't think the mattress suffered too much. Left a damp trail all the way to the bathroom though.

[MorocconOil]

Mine broke in bed with number 2. I'd definitely get a protector.

[neolara]

Both times mine went at night. Was very relieved I had a mattress protector. I found it very useful for leaking boobs and throwing up babies as well! You can get ones in John Lewis that don't crackle when you roll over in bed.

[OverRated]

Mine broke at 5am in bed. I think I had been sleeping on a towel, just in case but I managed to get to the toilet without making a mess anywhere! It was just a loud pop that woke me up

[Tinasan]

Mine broke at night, I was almost 39 weeks. However it was just a dribble and I didn't realise this was what had happened until I was walking about the next day and was still dribbling . Get a mattress protector, it will come in handy anyway when your little one is here. Good luck!

[gemmiegoatlegs]

mine also broke in bed with no 2. I had no plan and no mattress protector so dh gave it a good mop down till we bought a new mattress!

[newcm]

My waters broke at 1 in the morning BUT somehow i must have known it was going to happen as i jumped out of bed and ran! I managed to get to the bedroom door and then gush! I think my dh got a bit of a fright as we were sound asleep. Didn't start having contractions untill about 3 hrs later. It still to the this day puzzles me, but thank goodness as i hadn't put anything on my bed! Due 2nd baby in may so will be covering the bed and also the route to the bathroom!!!

[callmeovercautious]

Get one anyway. My Norks leaked so much at the end (and once DD was here) that my mattress was trashed!

Either that or some super sized beach towels under your sheet? Or you can get incontinece pads for the bed but if your waters go a full flush, so to speak, that may not be enough.

[devonsmummy]

sounds similar to me catissleepy

I woke up at 3.30am - wide awake and heard my waters pop. I had an old towel on the bed but most of the fluid came out once i'd got to the bathroom with knees clenched together!

I kept an old towel on the car seat too.

[chisigirl]

Both times, my waters broke while I was in bed, in the very early hours of the morning with a 'pop' kind of sound. There was a mattress protector on the bed but, like OverRated, I got to the toilet without a, aheh, spill!

But as others have pointed out, mattress protectors are very useful when your breastfeeding...

[chisigirl]

oops! YOU'RE not your.

[clayre]

my water broke in bed and it was a big gush!

I would suggest a packet of pampers bed mats also handy for when you come out the hosp and are bleeding heavy

[BettySpaghetti]

My waters went in bed with both DD and DS.

[Bubblyboo]

Mine went at 1am with no 2. Ironically I'd had towels under me first time round but ended up having waters broken for me. Second time I didn't bother and got the shock of my life! I managed to rush to the bathroom and DH grabbed a towel to soak up the mattress.
Would recommend a mattress protector, even if just insurance against it happening

[Pollyanna]

I went into labour in the middle of the night with 3 of my 4, but my waters didn't break with any of them at that stage.

For my other child, my waters did break first, but I wasn't in bed at the time.

[mosschops30]

FWIW i went into labour in the morning, and even more my waters have never broken on either of my labours

[whomovedmychocolate]

Ooh this is so interesting. Not the wet bed thing - but I was wondering - so you actually get to hear your waters pop. Is it like a balloon or quieter? I just have visions of mine going and DH hiding under the bed yelling 'he's got a gun'

[CatIsSleepy]

ooh I don't think I got a pop
althoughsomething woke me up first before i started doing my impression of Niagara Falls

[chisigirl]

LOL, whomovedmychocolate! No, it's wasn't very loud at all for me. more of an an internal pop... (I 'heard' and felt it inside of me but DH certainly didn't).

When I did make it to the bathroom, there was an almight gush! The first time I was soooo surprised, I'd imagined a slow trickle I think.

[FrannyandZooey]

I think it is useful to have one, for all sorts of reasons: leaking breasts, child gets in bed with you and nappy leaks, breastfed child in bed with you leaves little milky patches all over mattress, etc

[whomovedmychocolate]

But I want a big bang (come to think of it, wasn't it something similar that landed us all in this position in the first place? )