Waters broken before contractions!

[Nicknamegoeshere]

I'm 39 + 1 and mine started to go at 6 am this morning. Lots now, lovely and clear. But no contractions as yet! Did similar happen to anyone else? My midwife (home birth) says just to chill but that is easier said than done!!!

[stairgates]

Good luck! Hope little one arrives soon for you :)

[Peanut91]

Mine went whilst out dog walking at about 11am. I went in for monitoring at 2.30pm and the monitors picked up contractions but I was feeling nothing. I started feeling contractions at about 6pm. Had baby at 2.40pm the following day

[EarringsandLipstick]

OP, I genuinely wish you well with your labour and arrival of your baby.

I hesitated to post before because of those reasons, but honestly, the more you post, the ragier I feel.

Many (most) births are straightforward. A small but significant minority are not. In those cases, having access to effective maternal & baby care is the difference between life & death (for both). Not having useful evidence of the situation (appropriate monitoring) is massively problematic. Your cavalier assumption that because it's your body you know best is baffling. We don't say that about any other medical condition. And while birth is natural it's not without risk.

I have a close family relative who's a consultant OB/GYN doctor. When things go wrong, they do so dramatically and sadly catastrophically, in many cases.

I appreciate you're close to giving birth so I do hope you have a good experience but your dismissal of a lot of the procedures around delivery is worrying.

[Nicknamegoeshere]

@EarringsandLipstick Totally disagree. The antenatal care I was receiving on the NHS became unsafe when this pandemic presented - how on earth can anything be assessed sufficiently over the phone? No BP readings, no fundal height measurements, no urine testing, no listening in to baby.

Whole different story with private mw. For example, called her tonight saying I'd had a few minor contractions. She was out within the hour to reassure and do all of the checking on myself and baby. Superb care.

Just because I don't wish for my birth to be medicalised unless absolutely necessary does not equate to poor care.

[LimeLemonOrange]

Good luck OP! My first baby was supposed to be a home birth, but I ended up with an EMCS.

With my second I used an IM and had a wonderful home birth. Like you I did a lot of research.

I trusted my IM much more than the hospital midwives; she had years of experience of hospital births, enough to know what worked well for women and babies and what worked less well. And she saw that the highly medicalised approach to birth causes a lot of problems. As you know, there's much evidence to support this view.

Those who are giving the OP a hard time - do you not get that she has a fully trained midwife advising and monitoring her? She's not just making decisions on her own. She has much more midwife time, focus and attention than women in NHS care.

[Spanneroo]

@Nicknamegoeshere good to hear you've had some niggles. Let's hope baby makes an appearance soon! Mine always came as the natural light began to dip, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get to meet your new baby soon, after a lovely calm home birth.

[Hiphopopotamus]

Can posters stop giving the OP a hard time here? She’s probably researched and thought hard about her antenatal care far more than most women who just turn up to statutory appointments. She’s under the care me of a medical professional who can give her personalised one on one attention and is ultimately doing what we all do which is trying to do the best for our babies!

[PhoenixBuchanan]

Can posters stop giving the OP a hard time here? She’s probably researched and thought hard about her antenatal care far more than most women who just turn up to statutory appointments.

This!

[Nicknamegoeshere]

Thanks for those that get this - I have done so much research (admittedly some of which maybe anxiety driven!)

Great news is that contractions are getting more frequent and intense - OH filling up the birthing pool as I type

[WoollyFoolly]

How exciting! Good luck!

[mylittlesandwich]

The thing that gets me about some of these responses is that they seem to be more about what individuals would choose. I personally never even went into labour. I had a planned c-section a week before my date. OP has done her own research and is being supported by trained professionals. She's got this.

OP I hope you have a great experience and your wee one is in your arms soon.

[Zaradelorio]

Hope you are ok OP and it’s good you have contractions now

My waters broke at 28 weeks with my dc and I didn’t have a c section till 38 weeks. I saw so many drs in that time and had admissions and was told they had broken then they hadn’t and back and forth , that the scan showed waters at an ok level then not then ok, that I had an infection and needed antibiotics then I didn’t and so on .....
Dd wasn’t well at birth , tagged membranes and was in nicu immediately on antibiotics

[Zaradelorio]

*ragged

[Bowerbird5]

Great news.
I can understand your anxiety about hospitals.
Earringsandlipstick I had my first baby in an NHS hospital a series of incorrect monitoring( helps to plug it in) and lack of care meant I was run down to theatre and baby was born dead but thankfully resuscitated and I nearly died. My daughter’s birth because I wasn’t listened to and a doctor wasn’t called I had a fit, luckily just after she was born. I couldn’t be moved for 24 hours in case I had another.

[GreenWillowTree]

How exciting. I am so pleased your labour has started and you are getting the birth pool out.

Hopefully your baby will be with you soon.

[Stressedmummyof4]

With my eldest my waters broke on the Friday morning while getting ready to go to midwife appointment. Phoned ahead they said to come up and they would double check, I did and they sent me home with instructions to come in the next morning at 8am to be induced if nothing happened. Went in the next morning and was put onto a ward as the labour suite was full, in the end they woke me in the middle of the next night because there was space and she was born on the Sunday night at 5pm. Much the same with my second they left me till the next day then induced but stopped progressing so had to have a csection, he was 10lbs 8oz so he deffo wasn't coming naturally .

[Wolfgirrl]

Lordy this thread has made for quite a harrowing read! I started a thread on women on MN rejecting medical advice and got told I was nuts...

OP I hope your baby is okay. Good luck.

[elliejjtiny]

Good luck OP, hope you have your baby soon.

[Herpesfreesince03]

Any news op?

[ElectricTonight]

I hope all is well and you have baby in your arms by now !

[00deed1988]

@nicknamegoeshere

Hope you are doing well. 🤞🤞🤞 You have a baby safely in your arms. Let us know how you are when you can!

[Iwalkinmyclothing]

Hope it has all gone well, op, I've been thinking of you

[Mulhollandmagoo]

Hope you're doing ok op?? Really pleased your contractions kicked in and hoping you got the birth you wanted 🤞

[CeeceeBloomingdale]

Mine did and I started contracting 48 hours later (in the days before they would induce you at 24 hours)

[Bowerbird5]

Hope no news is good news. I hope your labour isn’t too painful.