What is it like to have your water broken manually? How does it compare to other ways of inducing labour?

[cleoteacher]

Had sweep today and mw said. 1cm open and central. Has got smaller but cervix still thick. Doubts sweep with lead to labour! Boo

But went on to say they would probably break waters manually as cervix open rather than with pessary or drip. Really want a more natural birth this time without being induced if can. But really worried about having drip so at first put my mind at ease.

But then been reading on internet and thinking. Is this a 'better' and more natural way of bringing on labour really?

What are the advantages and disadvantages? Can't find much in google searches. Does it tend to work like in inductions where labour starts pretty rapidly and contractions go very quickly to painful and close together like with other induction methods?

Does the actual breaking of waters hurt?

What's people's experiences?

I had my waters broken in my second pregnancy. The midwife gave me gas and air so it wasn't too uncomfortable but they 'went' I dragged myself to the toilet to change they went again before I got back to the bed. Turner around back to the toilet changed my pants again they went again as soon as I stood up tried again and they went again as soon a s I sat in the bed. I gave up getting changed at that point my first pregnancy they broke naturally I had one almighty flood and that was it!!

Thanks for info. Did it hurt when they were broken ? What was the labour like? Does it tend to be more painful like other methods of induction than going into labour naturally. Do statistics say it leads to more intervention afterwards like other methods of induction?

Mw broke mine in labour with dd. had been pushing for a while and it was felt things would speed up if they broke as it didn't look like they would break naturally. Mw used long crochet hook style instrument, it didn't hurt at all, just felt a kind of 'popping' sensation and that was it. And it did then speed up dd's arrival

When I had Dd2 I had waters manually broken. It didn't hurt at all but there was a tidal wave and Dr had to jump up out of the way. There was meconium in the waters so things went a bit crazy with Drs and Mw trying to sort out drip to get labour going but then it seemed like I went into one long contraction and she was born few mins later! So it can make birth very quick and intense. Was a good thing for me though as Dd was delivered without swallowing any of the meconium.
Good luck Op.

Isittheweekendyet- thanks for the info. So did you really notice the contractions step up a pace very quickly? Guess that's what I am worried about as with ds I didn't cope very well with how quick the pain started and stepped up after being induced with a pessary. Ended up with epidural and don't want to feel like I am panicking and not coping with the pain this time.

It was weird to have my waters broken but not in a bad way, nothing uncomfy. My waters were bulging but just wouldn't pop! It eased the pain a bit for the pressure that was on my pelvis and felt a bit like someone pouring a jug of water over my bits.
The labour pains were more intense as the waters cushion some of them.
They give you a time limit once they break your waters for me I had to do 2cms every few hours, if I didn't I had to go on the drip.. Unfortunately I didn't dilate as much as I should.

I had my waters broken with the crochet hook thing, several comments of "that's a lot of water" and the sound of stepping back. Got the impression they weren't too impressed at stepping into the puddle. It took me from 3cm to 7cm and DS was born within seven minutes.

I had my waters broken with my second baby as I had come in to be induced as I was 2 weeks overdue. It was uncomfortable but didn't really hurt. I went straight into active labour as soon as I stood up from the bed and ds was born 2 hours later. I managed on only gas and air but I would have had more pain relief if offered and there was more time! Ds got a bit distressed towards the end when I was pushing because he was an op presentation and didn't turn right until he popped out! I had an episiotomy but I had one with my first baby so I think it was inevitable I would end up with another one. Ds was born at 3.15 and I came home 6 hours later!
It was far more bearable than my first labour when I was induced with a Kristin pessary at 2 weeks overdue. That was a long painful labour!

Prostin pessary! bloody autocorrect.

I had mine broken by midwife during labour, midwife said it would speed things up. I don't remember it hurting but I was already in pain because of contractions I remember the thing midwife used to break them looking like a knitting needle!

Good luck xx

My midwife broke my waters whilst she was checking how dilated I was. It didn't hurt, but the contractions started coming a lot faster after she did it. That's also when I started on gas and air.

I had mine broken following an induction that didn't take off. The breaking of the waters was ok - there was a huge amount of fluid though, it flooded the whole bloody room! The consultant had to keep her hand 'up there' for some time while pushing down on my bump to push baby's head down into my pelvis due to some risk of the cord getting wrapped around his neck. That bit, being totally honest, was pretty awful but if I'd had gas and air it would have helped, I'm sure. I was induced a week early because we all thought he was going to be a big baby and his older brother gave me a rough time. Looking back, that was a bad decision because he wasn't big at all and he wasn't ready to come out.

All in all, would have been ok with pain relief!

Thanks guys so basically much the same as the pessary , they start quickly and are intense. Well Atleast I will know what to expect and know I be done it before.

It's my second birth so hoping that although it maybe more intense quickly it is likely to be for a shorter period of time. Guess my waters would be breaking in natural labour anyway so will feel that intensity at some point whichever way it gets started.

I found waters being broken quite uncomfortable but not painful. I was literally floored by first monumental contraction about 5 minutes afterwards, and dd1 was born 2.5 hours later. For me, it certainly did go from 0-100 with no ramping up.

Forgot to add - good luck! Hope it all goes well, however it pans out

I would say ask them to check your baby's position before breaking them. DD1 was back to back and no one told me it often isn't a great plan to do ARM in that situation.

I got induced this way - no pessary.
Popped waters and on the drip - ds3 was here within 3 hours.
No pain from the actual popping but because I'm tall (I think this is the reason) I'm quite long inside, I often need a longer speculum when getting smears, Anyway - my midwife was teeny tiny, I let her try but it got sore so she offered to bring someone with longer fingers :)
If you know you have this issue then just beware and check out finger length of midwives

So if my waters broke naturally would I get the same level of pain and so intense? Is it the fact it's been done before my body wants it doing that cranks up the pain and frequency of the contractions then ?

Thought might be better as not actually using drugs to bring about labour ?

My waters have needed to be manually broken even with spontaneous labours. I can't say that it ramped up the pain after it was done with the first two as I was already contracting and dilating well anyway. It just seemed to naturally progress.
With ds3 (the induction) It was starting the drip that made the intense contractions come, not the breaking of the waters.

Had mine broken manually with first baby. It wasn't painful (I was 7cm and using gas and air) but it was icky. They were broken just as there was a shift change over and I was left laying on bed [I had been moved down to labour ward by this point and was on a monitor so couldn't move about freely] with my waters literally pouring out.

Second labour they went naturally - that was my first sign things were happening. After initial gush they stopped until I was very close to delivering and then waters started to leak with each contraction.

I was induced at 37+4 with a pessary and then ARM once I got to about 2cm dilated.

Once i got up to labour suite where they were going to break the waters I'd had diamorphine so i didn't find it painful at all, but the midwife did comment on how easy it was to do, in fact it literally took her 30 seconds.

Where I live the midwives can only do an ARM from 3cm dilated but the doctors will attempt at 1-2cm. The more dilated you are, the less painful it is but it also depends on other factors such as cervical position. Once the waters have gone your labour should ramp up a notch as the baby's head will move further down onto your cervix.

Re the drip - not everyone needs it, I had the full works with my induction but I didn't need the drip turned up too high as the ARM really got things going. I can honestly say that my labour was a relatively good experience and that's coming from someone who was absolutely petrified of induction beforehand!! So try not to worry too much and have faith in your body. Good luck!!

I think it must depend on your pain threshold. I have concluded mine is low. The doctor was lucky I didn't kick him in the head when he broke mine. Never seen a chap move so fast.

Mines low too. I just had that feeling of panic when on bed being monitored and couldn't get off as contractions one on top of the other. Don't want that again.

Wouldn't mind too much if pessary again as know what's that's like just do not want drip or waters breaking manually if can help it.
Fingers crossed is I can do I guess