Really what are the chances of my waters breaking without warning?

[redandyellowandpinkandgreen]

My mum thinks I should get a plastic sheet for my mattress but I thought you would get some sort of warning first. What are the chances of your waters going in the night with no warning? And do I need a plastic sheet?

With DD2, my waters broke very suddenly all over our bed. I'd been having niggles for about 24 hours prior to it happening and was quite exhausted, looking forward to a good sleep! I got into bed, moved to turn over and pop, that was it!

With DD1 they broke but less dramatically.

With DS, completely without warning I heard a "pop" from inside my stomach. Stood up from bed and waters gushed everywhere. There was meconium in the waters so my mattress was well and truely ruined...

I had a trickle, which accompanied my first very very gentle contraction, so I did have warning. But it was at 4am in bed.

Midwives described it as 'hindwaters,' which just means the bag has only slightly ruptured and quite high up, so you only get a little trickle.
If that happens, use a maternity pad and make sure you can show the midwives so that they know if it's amniotic fluid. They don't have to sniff it to tell, it's a slightly pinky colour.

In the end I had ARM because I wasn't going into active labour quickly enough for their liking, so I consented in order to get my home birth.
I've since learned that there are things you can do - stay out of the bath and avoid internal exams, to avoid introducing infection, and drink plenty of water so that any fluid lost can be replaced until labour is fully underway (at which point it doesn't matter!).

No warning at all here either.

Was overdue, and hanging around hospital waiting for induction. Wandered with dh down to Burger King (hospital had food court). Jokingly remarked to dh that it would be very amusing if my waters broke in the middle of Burger King.

You can guess the rest.

It was not as amusing in reality, and made for a very damp, cold waddle back to the ward.

Nothing spectacular with DD, but with DS in early pre-labour at the hospital (was in for pre-eclampsia), felt a little trickle and told the midwife.
She didn't believe me as she thought it was too soon, so went down to check. At that moment, DS dropped down rapidly and....you know when you stick your finger over the end of a garden hose....? Poor lass was utterly soaked.
DS arrived less than an hour later.

1 out of 3 of mine broke spontaneously before labour. That was at a funeral service and I thought I heard them pop, but as people were singing at the time no-one else did and maybe I felt rather than heard it.

I've got a cheap smartprice shower curtain under my bedsheet - only cost £1 so I've got several dotted about the house - sofas, bed and hi-trafficked carpet areas

PS, pass, I'm still pg with DC2, due any day now - DS I had to have my waters broken for me, and I flooded the delivery suite out! (or so it felt :o )

With Ds they only went as he was coming out, and drenched the poor midwife in the face! I only realised afterwards (bit pre-occupied at the time) when Dh pointed out her wet hair.

Mine did with all 3 DD's ! 1 unexpectedly on sofa, 1 unexpectedly in my parents toilet and 1 unexpectedly in bed.

Def get a sheet :)

3 pregs, no gushing in my case.

Of all the mothers i know only one had her waters go unexpectedly (rather bizarrely while in hospital visiting a relative!) but she has three and only had that with her first... no one else i know had the waters go before they got to hospital

Mine "popped" on ds1 but it didn't gush, it was a very slow drip for a very long time.

Mine went in the kitchen without any warning at all, I completely flooded the room there was just so much of it! DH had to pull the washing machine out to mop up as it had gone under there too whilst I had to restrain the dog & DD from paddling in it

ds was breech - he gave a massive kick when i was abour 38 weeks, there was a pop and waters everywhere - i was in bed at the time - a mattress protector would have been handy....

with dd, the hind waters went with no warning and again with no contractions. luckily it was only a tiny amount of water. i was in bluewater at the time...

my first broke just before pushing did gush out but was over hospital corridor so didnt care!

second waters broken to induced labour

third broke in the bath felt a pop stood up and a small dribble of blood ran down my leg, I have no idea if much went into the bath but couldnt see anything - was already quite far in labour (she was born 8 minutes later aparently, I wasnt timing at that point).

Fourth had minor contractions overnight but easiliy slept through them, woke up at 5am and couldnt sleep so sat in bed on the laptop. I felt a pop like the baby had kicked downwards so stood up and went to the toilet, came back and sat back down a while lare shifted to get comfy and realisef there was a smallish wet patch on the bed and that I was leaving little wet patches all over. Went back to the toilet and a huge gush of pink gloop and waters came out as soon as I sat down and continued coming out until she was born about 5 hours later. proper Contractions started within an hour of my waters breaking but didnt get strong for about 4 hours.

Mine were broken by the midwife after 10hrs of labour. DS born 2hrs later.

I bought a waterproof mattress protector and glad I did as so much use after the whole birth thing was out the way!
First night home sat up to go to the loo and had a big lochia/maternity pad breech (ergh). Also useful for the numerous voms & poo leaks from DS, as well as pools of breastmilk from feeding lying on my side!

Ds was in bed with us (as usual).

In the middle of the night ds prodded me and said he'd wet the bed.

It turned out it was my waters - the bed was almost afloat.

Then ds started jumping up and down chanting "Mummy's wet the be-ed, Mummy's wet the be-ed!" He was quite thrilled that a grown-up could suffer this misfortune.

Later on I was when the pil rang the hospital whilst I was in the delivery suite and demanded to speak to dh. Mil had fancied a lie down and they were unhappy that I had left the bed in such a mess and that there were towels thrown in the bath.

With both of mine waters went around 11pm just as I was settling down to sleep. First time I felt a 'pop', second time just began to feel a damp trickle. Both times I managed to leap out of bed and waddle to the bathroom before the deluge, so didn't do any mattress damage, but a sheet might be an idea.

I was standing in front of the bed to repack my hospital bag from a holdall into a suitcase (which I thought would be more useful) when dd2 did a funny wriggle and my waters literally popped audibly. Very odd sensation. My jeans and socks soaked up most before I made it to the bathroom. I called out to dh to say something had just happened (he's so squeamish I did not want to go into detail) and he promptly panicked, went down to the kitchen, shut the door and put the radio on loud... It was dd1 (2 1/2 at the time) coming to my aid and getting mummy a towel, new trousers, and finally managed to get a message to dh to come upstairs and talk to me about getting to hospital!!

Mine went at about 4am. I woke up feeling funny and stood up, and ruined the carpet. Then had a steady stream of fluid I had to stand in the bath until the midwife came in the morning.

Mine went in the birthing suite. I was already in labour, but the only warning I had was feeling as though I was about to do a huge scary poo! I sprinted through to the toilet and the next thing I knew I had the 'pop and gush'. I still didn't realise what had happened and when I looked down I expected some sort of 'rivers of sweetcorn' scenario! Was quite relieved to see that it was my waters

With DD I had a pop and a teeny trickle and I don't know what happened with the rest of my waters.

With DS another little pop and trickle, but the few drops that did hit the mattress (was on all fours whilst DH was putting the TENS on) did stain it permanently. The rest came out onto my mum's shoes when I pushed DS out, but there wasn't all that much.

I got a warning, by the big woman standing at the end of the bed with what can only be decribed as a knitting needle with a hook at the end

get a plastic sheet though just in casej

The disposable mats are then really useful for protecting the bed if you're feeding lying down - so they won't go to waste if you're lucky enough to have your waters go in the birth pool during labour!