Worries about childbirth and leaky 'waters'

[mumblesmummy]

I am worried about the following:

I've been leaking SOMETHING for weeks. It's not wee.

I swore blind I had a water infection and all the symptoms but my wees kept coming back as normal.

On Wednesday I was teaching and when I left class, my knickers were soacked from front to back. I was a little worried and as I was seeing my midwife that afternoon, I just told her about it. She wanted to send me to labour ward but I explained that it had stopped by the afternoon so she said if it happened again to ring labour ward.

It happened this morning so I rang them and they scanned me and said everything was fine with baby and waters. Did a wee sample and they said it had a lot of stuff in it and I needed to be on antibiotics. So I am now.

However, when I wee it is so strong, painful, smelly and yellow from the infection that I KNOW that was has been leaking is not wee as it is totally clear, odourless and I feel it run out but it's just not wee. I have started wearing a pad.

So what is leaking? I'm 30+5 so I'm starting to get nervous and can't believe they've ignored a water infection for this long. Particularly as it's given me such bad stomach and back pains and I've been poorly, hot and off colour for weeks.

I have also been told that I cannot have both my DP and my mum with me when I'm in labour as the hospital only allows 1 birth partner. So DP it is and he'll be everything I need anyway but I soooooooooo wanted my mum there too as she's so wise and great and she's done it all before. It's just made me anxious.

Now for the seriously TMI alert. Don't read on if you're squeemish or in any way prudish. I have had errmm...'bum luv'.. in the past before I was pregnant and ever since, I have had bad pains inside like some kind of internal piles or something. It REALLY hurts, especially if I sit in the same place for too long or something. I don't really get piles that stick out or anything so i don't know what it is. I'm terrified that if I try to push the baby out, my bum will prolapse. So I'm now terrified of pushing.

Hi there,

Sorry you're having a tough time. I don't know too much about leaking fluid - my understanding is that amniotic fluid smalls sweetish as a rule. If you've had a good scan that's reassuring, but don't hesitate to ring them again if you are still concerned. Hopefully as the ab's kick in you'll start to feel better, which will be a big help.

I'd get the piles checked out, to be honest. I had prolapsed piles in pregnancy - and on delivering my huge daughter the consultant observed that they were "like grapes"! But they didn't cause any problems/pain in the birth, and I got a good treatment cream called proctosedyl from the hospital, which helped a lot. But I'd see your GP and get them checked out just now, so that he/she can put your mind at rest. They're really common and generally not that problematic. I hope you feel better soon, and that your pregnancy continues smoothly.

MM - I had this at about 36 weeks and was sent for an internal check. The doctor confirmed that the waters were still fine but I wasn't really offered an explanation as to what it was - I concluded just a very watery discharge. If you're concerned go and get it checked out again and explain your anxiety.

I can aslo empathise with wanting your mum there as I did too. It didn't happen for me - v.quick labour, undiagnosed breech, emergency c-section - etc. Mum didn't make it to the hospital until he was born (she lives 150 miles away). But to be honest when it happened I didn't really care. It was me going through the labour and to be honest the midwives were fabulous. I doubt it will make a difference. Second time around I am not so keen on having mum there.

When I thought I was leaking water it turned out I had thrush??? Could that be it, i didn't have any of the "normal" symptoms I would associate with Thrush though.

I had the same as clur - was very surprised it was thrush as had no real thrush like symptoms, just lots of watery discharge. They should do a vaginal swab I think.

I think the midwife can test the fluid on your pad with a test stick to show if it is amniotic fluid or not. The UTI sounds really unpleasant, almost as if your kidneys hurt too. The abs should help, if not, get back to the docs because you may need a different type for your infection iyswim.

Can't help with the back door symptome, no experience there! Things do feel heavy down below as the baby gets bigger anyway, so combined with the sore bladder it's not surprising things ache. Ask the doc to have a closer look before the big day so you can stop worrying.

As for the 1 birth partner thing, what do they do about Doula's? It seems an oldfashioned and unkind policy, perhaps you could question it with the head of midwifery services? I'm sure more knowledgable people will come along soon.

Good luck!

I had this 2 years ago

i was 23 weeks when watery stuff started leakin. was 24 weeks when turned out i was actually in labour and my waters had been slowly leaking instead of actually breaking

there is a simple test with a swab/dipstick thing that can be done and a speculum examination to see if you are leaking amniotic fluid

it might be urine or thrush

heavy discharge is normal in later pregnancy, an infection can lead to you losing a bit of bladder control

re the bottom issue, i replied on the other thread!

you do need to push into your bottom and you might feel like you are going to poo , but that is NORMAL, don;t hold back from pushing correctly for fear of pooing a bit. go with your body and your feelings , and don;t try to hold back , ifyswim.

re the birth partner thing, when i had DD i had a combination of people who took turns, dad lasted 2 contractions in teh end i had 3 birth partners, 2 MWs and a paediatrician.. and the rule was 2 birth partners... but mine were very well behaved.. i thikn if they had been getting in teh way, one of them would have had to leave....

mumblesmummy - double check with the labour ward about being able to have your DP and your mum there. I thought my hospital had the same policy so was resigned to only having DH there, but then when I went to the labour ward in labour (from antenatal ward not home, was complicated pg) the midwives asked me where my mum was (they knew my mum as I had been into labour ward about 20 times with her before due to complications). She was allowed straight in, so it is worth checking.

Thanks for all the great responses.

The bum thing- I'm glad that won't be an issue. I made the huge error of watching someone give birth on youtube and her bum did something terrifying... which is what started my random phobia off. I will get it checked though.

Leakyness- swabs came back normal.. although I had been sort of hoping it was thrush or something mild like that just so I could be prescribed something and be happy.

With the birth partners issue, I actually asked them at the labour ward today and they said I'd have to pick between mum and DP as they're fed up of having all the sundry in. Which is a little impersonal, as I've made the effort to try and clear it first and it's only DP and mum. Guna have a chat with my midwife at GPs and see if she can sort something out. I doubt it though. Which is such a shame.

Where are you? They sound a bit mean, do you think they've had Jeremy Kyle type paternity battles on the ward? Your Mum and your DP aren't "all and sundry" fgs. Unfortunately, there are some miserable midwives who think they can dictate policy according to their personal taste. Check with the Head of Midwifery Services for your hospital.

ok, at the risk of TMI, but it is important:

when a woman is getting ready to birth her baby, the pressure of the baby coming down can make the anus open ...in fact it is a sign that MWs look for , that means baby is imminenet.... and as you push the whole area looks bulging.. that is normal. as i said earlier, it is also normal to poo a little bit before or during the pushing stage. that is normal. the MW will clean it away without a second thought. if you have a water birth, she will use a little sieve to scoop it out. it won;t be a big deal.

so please don;t worry.

• imminent, not imminenentnernetn!

Thanks Lulu. At least I know what to prepare myself for!! It's the only labour thing I've been properly worried about. Can't wait for the rest.

Thanks Racael- I'm going to check with head of midwifery and see if I can get it sorted.

I think the swabs that they sent off are not the same as the one they test for amniotic fluid.

Are you sure that they have tested the fluid you are leaking to make sure it's not amniotic fluid? I think it's a paper strip.

I had this at about 30 weeks and they kept me in overnight to make sure, even though the test stick said it was ok.
I'm sure you are fine, but would hate it to get overlooked.

the ones they send off are for infection etc... the swabs for amniotic fluid are done there and then. also a speculum examination can be diagnostic too, without any swabs