Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

To ask why people wouldn't like their waters to be broken for them?

68 replies

Mumof3xox · 17/07/2014 21:03

I had my waters broken for me with all 3 births

I've never in rl heard anyone speak negatively about it

But just saw a poster on a thread say "hope they don't have to break your waters for you" and wondered why?

I was always glad when they did it! With the last I actually asked for it to be done!

OP posts:

nemno · 17/07/2014 21:28

As a result I had cord prolapse too and thus an emergency CS.

Whereisegg · 17/07/2014 21:29

beat, I didn't mean to sound cheerful!
I guess I thought that in a process (labour) that is so different for every woman, that something so controlled, would be the same iyswim?

Mim78 · 17/07/2014 21:30

With dd they broke my waters and it was v painful as others have said.

With ds they obligingly broke on the hospital room toilet which was considerate of my body I thought! I then was in too much pain to get off the toilet and stranded away from my beloved gas and air, but that is another story...

SpiffingGalore · 17/07/2014 21:31

If the baby isn't fully engaged, artificially breaking the membrane can bring them down in a poor position, thereby making it much harder to get them out. It makes it more likely that further intervention will be needed.

Plus increased risk of infection and it can be extremely painful.

APotNoodleandaTommy · 17/07/2014 21:33

Exactly what poocatcher said

littlejohnnydory · 17/07/2014 21:34

I've wondered this, answers are interesting, thanks. I've had them broken with all of mine too - second and third time at my request. My labours are long and take ages to get going. It didn't lead to more intervention in my case - home births, all straightforward. It wasn't painful for me although the labour certainly was!

sadsaddersaddest · 17/07/2014 21:35

Because contractions bloody hurt after my waters broke (naturally)! The baby's head pushes directly on your cervix, without the waters to act as a cushion.
For DD2, my waters broke during the final push. It was by far the less painful birth.

bluecoconut · 17/07/2014 21:36

With DC1 I went into labour naturally. The midwife had broke my waters and it had no effect on the pain from what I can remember.

With DC2 I was induced at 38 weeks. I went from mild twinges to bloody agony as soon as they broke my waters. Makes me feel faint thinking about.

limon · 17/07/2014 21:42

Being examined bloody hurt and I disn't like the look of the giant crochet hook she was wielding.

bellarations · 17/07/2014 21:47

I asked to have my waters broken and was told no, because the pressure of a bulging sac of water actually helps delivery for the baby and takes pressure from him/her as they are being born.
My 5th baby was actually born with the sac intact so the mw had to break the waters after he was born.

Preciousbane · 17/07/2014 21:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hiccupgirl · 17/07/2014 21:53

Had mine broken to sped up the delivery as I had severe pre-eclampsia and needed to deliver within 24 hrs or it was c section. DS wasn't at all engaged (turned out he had a hand stuck on his face) so one midwife had to push and hold him down while the other broke the waters....it hurt a lot and was not nice.

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as something to choose to do. Having an epidural on the other hand was amazing.

stargirl1701 · 17/07/2014 21:55

Mine didn't break until the second last push. DD was nearly born in her sac.

MintyChops · 17/07/2014 21:56

Had it done twice and it hurt so frigging much, ghastly, never again (and am 6.5 months with number 3 but NO WAY having that again if can avoid)

FiveLittleSpeckledFrogsSatOnAS · 17/07/2014 22:11

I think it depends on the point of labour, mine were broken 3 minutes before DD was born and didn't feel a thing, as contractions were so painful in comparison possibly.
But earlier on I can imagine it being unpleasant with no other pain to distract from it!!

PassTheAnswers · 17/07/2014 22:13

Because it sodding hurt and caused my contractions to become suddenly unbearable, rather thN increase so I could get used to them .

Was the first step in a long series of interventions for me but in the end the only way that baby was ever coming out was through a csec .

erin99 · 17/07/2014 22:26

Thank you for this thread. My answer is like so many others - because it was bloody agony. And NO ONE warned me it might hurt, and when I screamed they just kept on doing it anyway. And afterwards, she said she'd carried on regardless to avoid the trauma to me of having to have another go. I assumed I was just it being a pathetic wimp and failing at the first hurdle of childbirth.

Why do they not offer any pain relief if this is a widespread thing? It totally did not help all the trying to feel nice and safe, keeping the endorphins flowing kind of angle.

MrsKoala · 17/07/2014 22:30

Yes, thanks for this thread. I'm just writing my birth plan and it has reminded me to put NO BREAKING OF WATERS in big letters. And ABSOLUTELY NO SWEEPS as well.

passmethewineplease · 17/07/2014 22:38

Luckily my waters went before labour started.

I've heard it makes it more painful as there isn't a barrier between baby and your cervix anymore....mine went at the same time too which freaked me out!

Original poster

Mumof3xox · 17/07/2014 22:40

Erin99

I had gas and air for all three times my waters were broken, I was in well established labour though

I got to hospital at 7cm with dc3 and had them broken after about 30 mins

OP posts:

JennyCalendar · 17/07/2014 22:47

I was induced, but didn't want my waters broken unless necessary. Luckily I progressed pretty quickly and it wasn't needed - DS was born in his sac.

I didn't find the contractions unbearable - just excruciating pain at the crowning. Don't know if that was related to my waters still being intact or not.

Finney2 · 17/07/2014 22:48

They tried to break mine twice in my last labour but the membrane was so thick they couldn't.

On the very last push before he was born my waters literally exploded all over the wall (a good 2metres away) and the midwife

gamescompendium · 17/07/2014 22:52

I had them broken for DD1 and all that happened was the contractions got much more painful but no more efficient. With DD2 they offered to break them and I refused because everything was progressing fine, they naturally broke at the start of stage 2 about half an hour later. DS my waters broke prematurely. I've finished having children but I'd always refuse to have my waters broken, it seems quite unnecessary in my experience.

tilliebob · 17/07/2014 22:56

Mainly because I didn't want any form of intervention whatsoever. However with dc1 they did break my waters as his head was almost out and they were bulging around him, so they didn't cause me any huge hassles at that point in my labour. DH on the other hand was down the business end and said it was the worst part of the entire rather crap labour, I think due to the sheer volume

StillFrigginRexManningDay · 17/07/2014 22:58

Ds was born in the caul and I swear it cushioned the contractions as they were not as bad as the others where my waters broke.

Flip

1 2 3