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?

At 32 weeks with no warning. On a bed in a beauty salon getting my eyebrows waxed.

In bed, 5:50am. Felt quite excited actually as I had been continually told during pregnancy that it's the least likely way for labour to begin!

Get a sheet. I was suspicious of the advice but followed it (apparently if you don't then you have to throw out the whole mattress due to the stink).

I was delighted that the sheet was put to good use, no warning, waters broke at 5 am.

I had no warning at all and just woke up all wet at 6am!

Mine went in the middle of the night (I think) and I was woken up at 5.30 a.m. by a massive contraction, which had me on all fours being sick .

So everytime I retched (sorry if TMI) water gushed out of the other end. All I could do was shout at dh to get me a bucket (to be sick in) and a towel (to wedge behind the other end)!

Broken artificially during labour with the first two so was expecting the third to be similar. But had a show that morning which I also didn't have previously, so thought this could be the day. Cue a couple of hours later sitting in the hairdressers whilst DD2 has her hair cut - first a drop, then a trickle, then a textbook gush! HAirdresser did really well not to panic, and managed to get DDs fringe straight!!. Phoned DH, waddled to car, still gushing - clocked on the way by a couple of mums at DCs school with soaking wet trousers, news was then busy being texted round the town that X is in labour! Contractions started pretty much straight away too. Good luck!

Mine didn't break and had to be 'hooked' ...felt like a lot of liquid but apparently actually next to nothing!

I have a tencel waterproof mattress cover.

Waters broke 5.30am no labour, no warning. Pop and gush.

I also had the "have you wet yourself?" question at the hospital. They even smelt the pad I had put in my pants, nice.

If I had wet myself the fact that I had been trickling fluid for 2 hours would be disturbing.

Waterproof sheet comes in handy when your baby pukes/poos/spills over your bed.

DD1 - whilst cooking a cury for my parents. but trickling so i could use a pad to catch it. lbour started 4 hours later.

DS - 20 mins before he arriuved, on my bed

DD2 - 6 mins before she rrived, also on my bed.

our bedroom carpet is waiting for us to decide 3 is enough before we replace it.

all 4 of mine went suddenly but had abit of a gush first so managed to get to the loo for the big one.
With dd they went in my bed but i still have it and its not stained.
Am on no 5 and will have an elective c section but reckon they will go before hand so they better book it early on.

get a sheet.

my went with a gush when i was in bed, yes i did have to buy a new bed!

My waters broke when I was sitting on the sofa laughing very hard at something. Fortunately I was sitting on a towel as I had just been in the shower. It was not so much and I waddled round to the hospital before the rest came.

My mattress protector was useful though because when I was gigantically pregnant, one night I wet the bed a bit .

You lot have made me laugh! I am googling waterproof mattress protectors right now. I am also thankful that we have old carpets that we're planning to replace so it's only the bed I need to worry about.

I need those Parentcraft classes as I thought you'd get pain first or something not just a big shock of waters, eek. Plus the tales of people going in to labour at 37 weeks have panicked me, I might go and pack my hospital bag...

With dcs 1&2 they were broken for me during labour.

With Dc3 they went during labour but the flood on the floor was something else. There was so much water I was paddling in it.

So they may not go before you're in labour but either way there's no warning and it makes an enormous mess .

I remember mine with DD, got up for my usual 4am wee (as you do when pregnant...), half way across the landing felt a small trickle, in my half awake/half asleep state I was thinking "I don't remember being incontinent" when it suddenly dawned that my waters might have gone. I felt a huge gush coming & by then was awake enough to have the presence of mind to dive in the shower cubicle. I seriously couldn't believe the shear volume of water that came out in the next few minutes (and it was minutes...) - the discrete little puddle you see on TV is a joke, it was more like a cow having a pee if you've ever seen that [gtin]

We didn't have a mattress cover on, glad they didn't go a few minutes earlier as it would have been a new bed without doubt (and probably a leak into the lounge below too!)

When I got to the hospital the m/w examined the pad - which was utterly & totally sodden - and said I don't need to sniff this one She did say I'd lost all my water (due to DD head not being engaged) not just forewaters as a lot of people do.

so to answer your question, yes buy a mattress cover!

Both times my labours started with a pop then an intermittent trickle. The trickling went on for hours. First time I tried sitting on old towels, sanitary pads just couldn't cope. Second time round I had found some of these

I totally recommend them. I got through 2 packets, perhaps half a pack for labour, then a pack and a half for the first three days or so of lochia after birth.

Sorry if TMI, but I really found them to be a great aid.

Hippy Chick mattress protectors are good - nice and soft, not plasticky. My original John Lews mattress protector never soaked up any amniotic fluid (broken by midwife late in labour, it was like a TSUNAMI in the delivery room, I swear) but did soak up: night sweats, breastmilk, lochia, normal period blood later on, spilled formula, small child vomit, small child urine. Oh, and Ribena (thanks for that one, DD). So well worth the money. But you need to keep an eye on them - the rubbery backing on that one perished, and it was just in the very spot that DD's bum was the night she came into our bed having wet her own, and I didn't put a fresh nappy on her as she couldn't possibly have anything left in there ...

I have 6, 2 sections, number three went whilst in labour at home during a massive contraction, four whilst pushing, number 5 went in bed, number 6 went whilst pushing
Never had a show though!

If they do go quickly don't put your hospital knickers on as you dribble for ages. No one told me that and I was really annoyed as I put my hospital knickers on all ready to go in and then had to change them for non planned knickers (if you know what I mean).

If you were that man two rows behind me during that particularly poignant viola solo in that church on the evening of July 8th 1993 in Crowthorne, I can only say sorry. Your face haunts me to this day. In my defence my husband was the viola player, and the baby being 8 days past its due date by then, we thought we'd tempt fate. I hope the pews polished up ok.

PS: latest baby was prolonged rupture of membranes (4 days) of which the first 4 hours was pretty impressive gushing- two bath towels and a stack of face flannels which was all I had to hand, followed by trickling for 3.5 days that was contained by maternity pads. All my 4 have kicked off so to speak with waters breaking. I believe that this is not all that usual.

Flora- your midwife was lying! Very definite pop and much gushing for all 4 of mine.