When your waters break can you have a bath/shower?

[westlondongirl]

This may be a stupid question but are you allowed to have a bath/shower before you go into hospital if your waters have broken? Also how fast should you go in assuming that it is normal colour? Mine haven't broken yet but am 39+3 so could go soon. Thanks.

I wouldn't have a bath as you will be vulnerable to possible infection. A shower should be fine as long as you aren't spraying soap and water up your fanjo.

Ring the ward (or midwife team) when your waters go and they'll tell you what to do - when mine went they wanted me to come in straight away for checks - I then went home and came back when labour started.

Remember, your waters might not be the first sign - plenty go once labour is quite far on.

I was told it was ok to have a bath as long as you don't put anything in it.

With dd1 I had pains for about 4 hours, went swimming, argued with dh about whether to go to hospital then my waters broke so he won the argument and we went in. I was already 4cm so didn't come home.

With dd2 my waters broke without any pains beforehand.I did have a quick bath. The hospital said to come in for a check and the contractions started on the way there. She was born 3 hours later.

Some people's waters only break just as the baby comes out though so don;t get too wrapped up in that idea. I waited and waited for a 'show' which never happened..

Anyway good luck

I rang the hospital as soon as mine broke,they said to use a pad and come in when it was full,mine was already full so i went in straight away,and then got sent home until my contractios got strong,not sure about having a bath

When I rang they said it was OK to shower, get bag together, do any other organising.

Mine broke at 10am, got to hospital at 1pm, was apparentely having contractions-I couldn´t feel anything.

Had first pain & show at 5pm by which time I was 8cm & delivered at 7pm.

I'm sure I read somewhere official - NICE guuidelines or something like that - recently that both showers and baths were OK after spontaneous rupture of membranes as there is no evidence of increased rates of infection. That's backed up here

No sex after your waters have gone . As if!

Thanks all. If it happens will phone in before I do anything. flybynight that made me chuckle - Sex?!! are they crazy??!

Mine started leaking slowly with dd2 and I was allowed baths with no bubbles. When she still hadn't emerged 3 days later I was induced. No one mentioned anything about sex though.

With dd1 my waters went while everyone was piling into the car to take me to the hospital, so they all had to pile back out again, because I insisted on getting changed. Although quite why it was necessary for both my sisters, my dad and my mum to all drive to the hospital with me at 2am when only my mum was staying I am not sure .

Mine went whilst i was in the bath so not nuch choice

Re sex after they've gone, tere was someone on here recently who said she and dh did it [vomit]

I just wanted to add to the sex topic.

If your waters break and you don't go into labour they will often suggest inducing you with prostaglandin, which, in case any of you don't know, is taken from pigs semen!

To be honest, if my waters break and I don't go into labour, I'd much prefer my husbands semen to try to get things going rather than pigs semen!!

Baths and showers are fine if your waters to break before labour (however the majority of people's water breaks at around 8cm)

My waters broke an hour after being induced. The contractions started and I was advised to have a deep warm bath. It was bliss! DH ran to the vending machine and came back with a Mars bar so I sat in the bath scoffing choc

Wasnt till the MW came in to see how I was getting on that we realised that the contractions had almost stopped. (was too busy scoffing!) Said that baths in early labour can slow them down so be careful.- I clambered out the bath as quick as my huge lump would let me!

Apart from DD's actual appearance, the mars bar bath is my best memory

I don't get the no bath thing as surely fanjos are watertight?. I would have thought there is more chance of getting an infection from sex.

If baths weren't allowed it would make it awfully difficult to have most water births, wouldn't it? I was in a birth pool for both labours, dd2 was born underwater, nobody seemed concerned about infection.

My waters broke with DD and contractions were really strong immediately. I was examined when I got to the hospital and was only 1cm but in pain. They told me it was too early for any pain relief but I could have a bath and DH poured warm water over bump with every contraction. It helped a little bit and passed some time.
Have read in quite a few places no sex after waters break but bath/shower is fine.

I had a shower and bath after my waters broke - the MW said that your own home has your own bacterial "flora and fauna" so low risk of infection.

I was given antibiotics once I got to hospital in estabished labour, but I think that was because I was in labour for so long after my waters broke and so the risk of infection goes up (I think - quite frankly I just nodded at the lovely MW when she said that was what she was going to do!)

I think it very much depends on whether your waters go before or during labour. Current NICE guidelines are to induce if labour hasn't started within 24 hours (used to be 96, IIRC, but got down graded mainly due to risk of infection). If left to its own devices, general movement of liquids is away from your cervix so bacteria have to work hard to get up there - but anything going the other way will increase the risk of that happening. As such, the advice I've generally seen for women who's waters have gone without labour starting is to avoid baths and avoid any internal anything - even if a MW uses a sterile glove its likely to pick up bacteria on the way in. If you're in labour already then its much less of an issue as there's unlikely to be enough time for any bacteria that do make it to cause a serious infection.

I would be wary of having sex to start labour - if it works quickly, great, but if not you've just shoved a load of bacteria right where you don't want them... Pigs semen may not sound great, but at least by the time it becomes prostin its been treated and sterilised and is more concentrated so more likely to work.

Also meant to add that with both my labours, waters didn't go until I was in transition...