When/where did your waters break?

[Nessalina]

I've suddenly realised that if my waters go unexpectedly in my house it might get a bit messy and we've just had new carpets but then when watching OBEM etc and reading about birth, it seems more common for your waters to go once you're already labouring, maybe even at the hospital already.
The unexpected waters seem to be mostly reserved for the movies!
What was your experience? and did you ruin any fixtures and fittings?!

Both times I was in bed.
The second time it happened I was prepared

Mine went at 1am in the morning. DH was snoring and I couldn't stand the noise any more so got out of bed to head downstairs and just as I stood up there was a gush all over the (cream) bedroom carpet. Wasn't a huge amount so must only have been part of them. Contractions started mildly around 7am and little one was born at 11:42pm.

No matter what I have tried I still have a stain on my carpet. Have been trying to shift it for nearly 2 years!!

I had been admitted to hospital at 35 weeks with severe pre-eclampsia, my waters broke in spectacular style, a genuine gush for a good 5 minutes at 3:00 am, at 37 weeks, remain thankful that I wasn't in the supermarket at the time.

I got hopeful that I might have an unassisted delivery after all but labour did not start. I had a sweep at 10 am and a pessary. By 4pm I was a whole 1cm dilated - woo hoo so they put me on a drip and contractions started pretty instantly. By 2am I'd got to 8cm but blood pressure was sky high and neither of the epidurals I'd had had made much of a difference, so we went for a c-section.

Kyyria - you have voiced all of my worst fears Not the new carpet!!!

DD1 - popped by the midwife during labour. DD2 - I think she punched them open while I was squatting down feeding the dog! Quite a gush and had to get DH to chuck a towel down so I could go up the stairs to get changed! (Brand new stair carpet!) x

At 36 weeks. I woke up at 6am, felt an odd "twangy twinge", got out of bed and gushed all the way to the bathroom, where I say on the loo, woke up and said, "oh". Ds arrived by emergency c-sec 18 hours later.

DC1 - I thought my waters were trickling in the morning, turns out I was just weeing myself. Waters went with a full satisfying gush 12 mins before ds was born

DC2 - Assumed I was weeing myself but waters were trickling with each contraction

Just got in to work, turned my computer on, walked round to check the main frame was on, waters went, so left work - all before my official start time!!!

Mine were movie style. I'd been in labour about 12 hrs and had been sent home from the birthing suite. I'd just got out of the bath to lie on the bed and it was one massive gush. But it didn't stop. I was in labour for another 36 hours (induced eventually) and in that time went through a massive pile of towels in the car, caused a flood in triage (DH stripped the bed and made a circuit around me to try and contain it). To this day I'm bewildered about how much there was

But I was made to feel like something of a freak and only ruined one duvet so I wouldn't worry

DC1: Huge gush while listening to a french chap Frederick Leboyer on Woman's Hour describing childbirth as the ultimate sexual experience total nutjob Love Jane Garvey's response to him. DS arrived the next day.

In bed at 4.48am, 22 hours before DD was born at 34 weeks. They went with a gush, I called my DP who was in the spare room and he came into me sitting in a massive puddle - luckily we'd put the mattress protector on before I went to bed.

With number two, the second I entered the birthing pool 5 minutes before birth.

With number three, on the loo, 15 minutes before birth.

Let's not talk about no.1.

DC1: on a routine visit to the toilet at 39 weeks, finished weeing but there was still trickling noises going on. I was home alone and I remember being very calm and thinking 'oh my waters have just gone'. I rang my DH at work to tell him not to hang about on his way home because my waters had gone and I'd had 1, yep, just the 1, very tiny, contraction! DD was born the following morning.

DC2 and DC3 were both planned csection, so no labour or water breaking until the surgeons did the job

I was 37+4 and glossing the picture rail in the nursery. There was a clearly audible pop and major gush! On the plus side I was in the only room in the house with dust sheets on the floor!

In the loo on the antenatal ward about 4am having had pessary inserted for induction 25 hours earlier.

I went and told the midwives and HCA at the desk that they had gone and made a mess. They just said "ok, go back to bed" and carried on with their paperwork. HCA (no paperwork to do) didn't move a muscle!

Said mess still there half an hour later when I went to the loo again....they then cleaned it up when I pointed it out. None of them had moved from their seats. Grim. DD arrived about 20 hours and 3 bags of syntocinon later.

Wow funchum, that's impressively grim!

WottaMess - good save!

Starlight - you've piqued my curiosity... Tell us about number one!

Ididn't actually notice with either of mine, so I assume 1) no gush and 2) it must have been in hospital when I was in very established labour and didn't notice because of the general overall pain...!

Did start leaking a bit with DD2 when I was still at home, but containable.

On the hallway carpet after rushing to try to get to the loo when I began to feel a bit of a trickle in bed. Cost of rubber bed sheet£10. Cost of replacing carpet £150. Should have stayed in bed!

The oh and I had a bit of an argument so I went to bed around midnight, at 2am, he was still in the lounge and I came rushing in duvet sandwiched between my legs (sooooo much water!) Cue going to and being sent home from hospital, my midwife and mama came over at 6am and I was having bad contractions, midwife left at 10 saying I had ages but didn't check dilation. I managed another hour and then whilst welded to the toilet (the only place I could get comfy) I felt the urge to push, mama called an ambulance, got to hospital delivery suite at 11.33am, time of birth 12.33pm. Lily Eva weighing 6lb 15 1/2oz x

first three births waters broken by midwife in hospital. fourth birth i went to get something from upstairs and felt a pop. there was a trickle and i couldn't decide whether it was my waters or not !!! rang the midwife and she camme to check and agreed it was so sent me into hospital (was 36 weeks). 12 hours later baby was born!

My waters broke, at 41 weeks after being induced with a pessary 2 hrs later gushed out, contractions started 30 mins later had to keep changing the pad on the bed every 10 mins (I had more amniotic fluid during pregnancy -went bk to normal level at 39 weeks) once I was in the delivery suite DH said it kept coming out like niagra falls until I had emer section!

With ds they broke whilst I was attempting some gardening at 37 wks. With dd they never broke, she came very quickly at 41wk and was born in her sac in the birthing pool everything still in place, after she floated around in the pool for a bit midwife broke the sac !

Broken for me in hospital. Both the consultant and midwife were shocked at how much there was. Baby was expected to be big but no, it was all fluid!

With dc2 they broke at 39 weeks in sainsburys! Ad no I didn't tell them so no freebies unfortunately I didn't want all eyes on me! Ds was born 2 days later I was induced as contractions didn't start and he was showing signs of distress when monitored.

Dc1- waters broke during established labour was about 8cm.

Me23 - would there have been freebies?!