How did your waters go?

[hairymclairie]

Dd1 was born in her waters and it occurs to me that I don't actually know how it happens otherwise.

In TV / films it sometimes gushes out like a huge puddle unexpectedly, but I've never heard a story of that happening in real life. Does it happen? Are people kind about it if it happens in public? How does it get cleaned up?

How did your waters go? Should I start carrying a big towel around with me in case?

My contractions started about 4 hours later.

A nurse called Moira shoved what looked like a crochet hook up my fanny then it was a trickle, if that.

On the sofa with a pop and then whooosh! Contractions started almost immediately and I had to crawl my way to hospital.

Mine broke at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon, sat on the sofa, didn't realise, just felt a bit of a "pop", went to the loo, stood up after having a wee and then realised it was still coming, went from a trickle to a gush. Got booked in to be induced (no contractions forthcoming) at 4:30 on the Sunday, with random trickling every now and then. Didn't actually get induced until 8am on the Monday morning due to the ward being too busy. Baby born 4:30 Monday afternoon.

I was asleep, woke up to a bit of a pop, and a huge puddle gushing out of me.

Hilariously (being a midwife I should probably know better) I had decided that my waters definitely wouldn't break before labour (and to be fair it is less common) sp had no kind of protection on the bed. Thankfully we were planning a homebirth so did have loads of towels for mopping up.

DS arrived by emergency c section 38 hours

Later

I was at home when they suddenly went in a big gush. Was absolutely soaked.
I didn't drive in those days. Thank God I wasn't on the bus!!!

Massive gush with both of mine

Thought I had wet myself on the sofa then trickled all day. Gave birth 2 days later.

I was fast asleep under the power of morphine when mine broke. A midwife woke me and I thought I had wet myself!

I was at home in bed. Felt a pop. Had just enough time to think 'oooh, that was weird, what was that?' and then it gushed!

Midwife broke mine all 3 times. With a big knitting needle type thing!
First 2 times was like a tidal wave, third time he was hiding the water mainly on top of him and the majority of them seemed to whoosh out after him.

Mine broke whilst I was asleep. The warm sensation woke me up. Labour pains started about an hour later. They didn't gush as such, but continued to trickle steadily for what seemed like ages. Ds was born approx 12 hours later.

DS1 While I was in bed at one in the morning. Sat up, feeling like I needed the loo and whoosh... One mattress ruined

DS2 During established labour. I thought I'd pissed myself and it really freaked me out... DH had to do quite a bit of calming, iyswim 🙄

I think I am in the minority here as mine went simultaneously with my first contraction in a very inconvenient place - a cafe in a hipster part of London with minimalist white decor full of single young people who looked slightly horrified as I gave a strangled yelp luckily, I was wearing a large sanitary towel and I managed to get to the toilet before too much of the gush soaked through the pad. Sorry, tmi.
Moral of the story - wear a sanitary towel when you’re out and about if you’re overdue!

In bed. I'd just woken up when there was a gushing and I told DH that I'd either wet myself or my waters had gone!

Luckily we had absorbent toddler pads on the bed so the mattress wasn't wrecked!

In bed both times, massive audible pop and gushing. Although second time, there was a
Mistake and it was only hind waters. Not realised until after an induction gone wrong

DS1 - as we walked to the lift because the midwife sent us home. Soaked leggings and a puddle.

DS2 - more quietly at 27 weeks but still a little niagara.

DD - huge whoosh early on - like a bucket of water and there felt like a rise in pressure just before. And then an hour later an even bigger whoosh and the midwife was taken aback and said "ooh that must be your hind waters" and went for a mop and bucket bringing with her another midwife and they oohed and aahed about how much water there was.

Mine were on the way to the loo from my bed at 10.00 at night.
Quite a weird sensation but nothing to worry about.
Oh now it happening in public is one I never really thought of, apparently selfridges give you a gift if it happens in there 🤣🤣🤣🤣

DS and Dd1 I had them broken in hospital to speed up labour. Dd2 (third baby) I rolled over in bed and thought I’d peed myself , was about a mug full of water but I think I lost more on a pad on the way to the labour ward.

Down the loo which was handy.

I went to the loo as normal, stood up and was pulling my knickers back up when I started to pee myself, chucked myself back on the loo wondering how on earth I was pissing myself moments after going on purpose and like a PP it took far too long to click that it wasn't pee

No pop or gush as such but I was amazed by how much there was. I could fill a maternity pad in less than 5 minutes. Luckily I had some Tena style pants having heard they were good for post partum bleeding, got through lots of them, had to sit on towels on the way to the hospital. Then on the way back from hospital as labour wasn't starting. It calmed down and slowed to a trickle after a night lying on almost every towel we owned. Was rather annoyed the following evening during induction when the midwife still had to pop them with her big crochet hook. I was amazed there was any left!

Woke up one morning never noticed anything. Tried to sit up and felt a wet trickle, lay down and it stopped, thought I'd wet myself 😳. Tried to get up again and trickle again. Told dh to get me a towel and waddled to loo with it between my legs.

Continued to go in small waves for the next day or so.

At exactly 36 weeks sat on the sofa 11pm at night thinking I had wee'd myself, went upstairs to change pants, more came, drove to hospital, more came in the car, more in the hospital room and in the hospital toilet. No pop or big gush here! I wasnt in labour then so give steroids and antibiotics to try and hold me off/keep baby happy until 37 weeks, went into labour next day, very slow labour he came 3 days later after turning back up to hospital 7cm dilated

Massive gush while at the zoo with DH and MIL. It was a memorable outing

I was lying in bed when I went into labour and I heard/felt a click. Got up and the waters gushed out.