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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Anyone have a long wait between waters breaking and labour starting?

33 replies

MissTea4Me · 08/12/2006 20:52

First pregnancy and my waters went 2 1/2 days ago at 38+6; I've been into the hospital 3 times for check-ups but no sign of labour starting. Anyone else had a long wait between waters going and labour? The hospital will let me go 96 hours before inducing if everything else stays OK, but I am getting truly impatient after 2 1/2 days of walking around leaking like a sieve. No-one told me the waters don't just go and that's it; they keep going and going and going...

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Donk · 08/12/2006 21:05

Poor you - I was told I would be induced after 48 hrs! Determined to avoid this I spent all my time walking up and down stairs sideways to help the baby finish engaging (something from a NZ booklet on active childbirth.) I just squeaked in under the deadline.
Good luck

Original poster

MissTea4Me · 08/12/2006 21:22

Rats! I live in a ground floor flat. Sounds like a good idea to stay active though; wasn't sure if I should be trying to move around a lot or conserving my strength.

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lulumama · 08/12/2006 21:26

keep active..if you feel like....sit on a gym ball or astride a chair...rock your hips and belly dance !!

96 hours is the maximum you can be left , so you know the end is in sight, so listen to your body and remember to eat and drink!

StrawberrySnowflakes · 08/12/2006 21:29

waters broke wed tea time, had to be induced with drip friday at midday..awful..sorry

Original poster

MissTea4Me · 08/12/2006 21:32

Thanks everyone! I am jiggling about on the ball as I type!

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crazydazy · 08/12/2006 21:33

My waters broke on the Saturday (I was in Morrisons and felt it dripping out of the bottom of my trousers) I went to hospital that night as I had no pain at all. They kept me in as I was only 34 weeks and were worried about infection. They planned to start me off the following Friday, started in labour Thursday and gave birth one hour after first contract.

DD was healthy and weighed 4lb 11oz. She is now 6 and wearing aged 8 clothes.

Original poster

MissTea4Me · 09/12/2006 16:16

Thought my contractions had started, so dutifully stayed up all night last night keeping active, bouncing on ball, etc. only for them to stop this morning. Went back to the hospital at 72 hours to be told labour hadn't started at all. Baby and I both fine, apparently, though Dr. quite keen to induce today. Said I'd hold off (MWs have been telling me all along 96 hours is fine); came home; cried. Feeling better now after a nap but still no further along. It's looking pretty likely I'll be induced tomorrow morning when I go back for my 96 hour check. Thanks for all your comments-- it's a big help to know I'm not alone!

OP posts:

lulumama · 09/12/2006 16:17

hope all goes well for you misstea4me...looking forward to reading the birth announcement,xx

MKGnearlyimmaculateconception · 09/12/2006 16:23

Don't worry. You may just need a little push to get things started. Good luck.

Daisymoo · 09/12/2006 16:42

Your waters may be more likely to break prior to labour and with no contractions if the baby is back to back. Do you know what position your baby is in? If it is back to back you might be able to get labour going if you can persuade the baby to shift into a better position so the head is pressing on the cervix more effectively. Have a look at the spinning babies website for ideas on doing this.

If you do get any contractions overnight I would suggest that you try and get as much sleep as possible - if you're tired when you go into labour it can make it much harder. Good luck, let us know how you get on.

franke · 09/12/2006 16:47

Just want to second Daisymoo. My waters went and nothing happened. I spent a whole weekend trying to go into labour (walking up and downstairs etc etc) so when I was finally induced I just didn't have the energy to stay the course . Please try to rest as much as you can and good luck. Just think, if you're incduced tomorrow, you'll be meeting your baby very soon - v. exciting

LubyLoo · 09/12/2006 22:53

That's interesting Daiseymoo. I didn't know that waters breaking and no contractions could be caused by baby being back to back. This was certainly true for me. Waters broke and had weak contractions for three nights. Was induced after 96 hours but after 3 hours of pushing had emerg c-section after failed ventouse. Baby was back to back. Never felt a single contraction in my tummy. All in my back.

flutturkey · 09/12/2006 22:58

My waters broke nearly 2 WEEKS before I gave birth, DS was born safe and well (6weeks early)

Oh and yes my waters dribbled every day till I went into labour, but everytime I was scanned (which ended up most days) they confirmed that there was NO water around ds but assured me he would be fine.

fussymummy · 10/12/2006 00:03

My waters broke at 34 weeks.

Had to stay in hospital until the birth.

Had to have antibiotics in case of infection.

My daughter was born 2.3 weeks later.

She was a very healthy 7lb.

That was almost 6 years ago.

Good luck and rest while you can.

You'll be glad that you did.

Original poster

MissTea4Me · 10/12/2006 10:45

96 hours and counting... Just back from the hospital where I had the doctor on one side of the bed saying, 'well, you know there's an increased risk of infection' and the midwife on the other side saying, 'baby looks fine, you look fine, no need to hurry things along'. So I've decided to come home and am going to give it another day. Not sure about the position of the baby just now but it's been quite contentious throughout the pregnancy they thought at one point she was breech but a scan showed her head down also at many of my external exams they've been unable to tell where she is, so I wonder if it might be to do with positioning. Anyway thanks so much for all your advice and good wishes and I'll let you know how I get on.

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lulumama · 10/12/2006 11:02

have a look at

about positioning baby for birth

and

optimal foetal positioning

never to late to have a go at wriggling baby around !

there is a really interesting story on the spinning babies website about a women repositioning the baby whilst in labour !

as long as no signs of infection, 96 hours is ok .......x

all the very best and happy birthing. x

hatwoman · 10/12/2006 11:05

similar here. 2 or 3 days - I can't remember exactly. some mws recommend cohosh (blue of black? I can't remember)

VeronicaMars · 11/12/2006 00:14

My waters broke on Friday morning and I was induced on Saturday evening. DD born at 6 on the Sunday morning. In fact this time last year I was in labour... scary how you play it all over in your head again. Good luck MissTea hopefully it won't be long for you now.

mamama · 11/12/2006 00:39

This is interesting to read. I'm in the US and if you don't go into labour within 24 hours of your waters breaking, they induce you. They made it sound very scary if you waited longer but that must just be the doctors panicking. It seems to be perfectly normal in the UK to wait 96 hours. That would certainly test my patience!

mamama · 11/12/2006 00:43

Ooo, Veronicamars, how exciting. Happy birthday to your DD I remember Ds's 1st birthday...I just played his birth over and over again in my mind thinking, 'this time last year, I was...'

dizietsma · 11/12/2006 01:33

Mamama, as you can see, some women even go much further than the 96 hours MT4M has been advised of.

MT4M- I could understand if you wanted to postpone labour and wait for it to come naturally, look into your options and don't be afraid to assert your right to have the final say about what happens, it's your body after all!

mamama · 11/12/2006 01:40

I think its wonderful you have a choice and I'm glad you have a calm and supportive midwife, MT4M

I'll keep an eye out for the birth announcement.

Hothead · 11/12/2006 06:17

It certainly isn't country-wide policy to allow women in the UK to go 96 hours from waters breaking to being induced. I was only allowed to go 24 hours before being induced. The induction was horrendous - how they expect you to cope with over 8 hours of those contractions whilst only offering you a paracetamol or a bath is besides me! Once I was dilated enough (which is what they said, but I reckon it might have had more to do with a bed being available and me reaching the absolute end of my tether)and they moved me onto the labour ward I still had hours and hours and hours left........but I was drugged up so didn't care. Ventouse and forceps failed so emergency c-section was the end result. After that experience there is no way I would ever being induced again.

Best of luck to you, your hospital is obviously quite different to mine, so let's hope your birth experience is too!

dueat44 · 11/12/2006 09:19

I claim the record: 8 weeks between waters breaking and delivery! (But they were only leaking). I had intravenous antibiotics for a week to reduce the risk of infection and had to stay in hospital, but DS born safe and well at 38.5 weeks.

I hope something happens soon for you!

Original poster

MissTea4Me · 11/12/2006 10:03

120 hours... I had lots of very sore contractions in the night but they seem to have slowed down now that I've gotten up. (Otherwise wouldn't be able to type this just now!) I'm due to go back to the hospital in a couple of hours so I'll see what they say. Made the mistake of looking up PRM on the net last night and read all this stuff about false positives for it which filled me with doubt since the fluid has slowed right down. But I'm not imagining those first three days of having to change my trousers hourly, I'm not!

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