Posting here for traffic as need some advice quickly. I'll try and keep it brief without drip feeding so please bare with me!
I'm 38+2 weeks. Last Tuesday my waters went whilst waking the dog. This is my
3rd child so I know what it was. As I got back to my car the gushing stopped and immediately my crippling sciatica went. As in just stopped suddenly. Baby had dropped and come off the nerve. I had a scan booked for 4.30 anyway to see if breach (she isn't) so I went home and cleaned up, changed underwear etc and headed off to hospital. When there they did a test (like a pregnancy test on a piece of paper in my vagina) to test for amniotic fluid. It came back negative to everyone's surprise. I didn't think much of it at the time but the midwife did comment that in the 6 months since the tests had been introduced she hadn't had a single positive. So they sent me home. I had mild contractions coming and going on Tuesday and Wednesday and nothing since.
Anyway I was due a sweep today with my usual midwife. I told her all the details about last week and she was shocked. Said that my hind waters had gone and should have been induced after 24 hours. Said she couldn't do a sweep and sent me straight to maternity day unit to get checked out. She talked about risk of infection being high as waters had gone and mentioned meningitis. I have been exposed to meningitis as I visited my friend on Tuesday and her newborn baby was diagnosed with it on Wednesday. I was Monitored in day unit and all Fine so they did the paper test for amniotic fluid. Again negative and 2 very surprised midwives. Then midwife says that she too has never had a positive in 6 months. So they proceed with the sweep and whilst I am on the bed my waters are literally filling the midwives hand. She can see and feel it coming from my cervix. So she happily repeats the test which comes back negative again. Now I'm no expert but I would say these are faulty or inaccurate tests. Seeing as for the last 6 months every woman passing through the doors thinking her waters have gone have been wrong. 
Get chatting to some ladies in reception and two out of five are in same position. Waters have gone but they won't be believed as the test says not. So basically they have sent me home and I see a midwife next Wednesday for another sweep of nothing has happened. I asked for antibiotics as a precaution but can't have them as, my waters haven't gone! My midwife today was as frustrated as me but basically her hands are tied as despite her years of experience and eyewitness to the waters and me knowing myself, if that paper says no then that is that. So WWYD? I'm so worried about infection. My regular midwife said this morning I need to be firm and maybe I wasn't firm enough. It's been over a week since they first went and could be another week before I see anyone again. That's a long time of worrying. Does anyone else have experience of these tests? Do I just go back and insist on antibiotics as a minimum? For info baby is moving we'll and healthy in all aspects so it is just the risk of infection that is concern. Thanks if you got
This far!!