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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

When your waters break.....

48 replies

wilkie50 · 05/01/2007 12:57

Bit of a ponder really (waters haven't broken). Two MNers on my thread had their waters break but didn't go into labour straight away. I was under the impression once your waters had gone you were off and away...

This has been the case with my three friends who's waters broke.

Is this not the case??

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

TheArmadillo · 05/01/2007 12:59

its not necessarily the case. But you should inform your midwife or unit when they break.

danceswithnewboots · 05/01/2007 12:59

Not me. Waters broke 11am Thurs. Had some contractions around 11pm but they faded away. Induced 8am Fri morning. C-section Sat morning!!

TinsellyRhino · 05/01/2007 13:00

no can go either way. alot of womens waters break and they don't go into labour but you must tell you MW because after a certain amount of hours (maybe 72, can't remember) you have to be in hospital to be looked after incase of infection

TheArmadillo · 05/01/2007 13:01

my waters didn't break by themselves - had to be broken, so you can also be in labour without waters breaking.

Shameless · 05/01/2007 13:03

Mine broke but i had no water come out... and strangely no-one knows where it went....

walks off still confused 9months on

lulumama · 05/01/2007 13:04

no, not at all !!

i think it triggers labour for about 25 % of women...

mine popped ( and exploded across the room, and ruined my shoes! ) when i was 7 cm...!

you have 96 hours according to NICE before induction of labour should be started

Pinkchampagne · 05/01/2007 13:06

No not at all. My friends waters broke 24 hours before she went into labour.
Mine went after I had started with my contractions, both times. It varies.

DaisyMOO · 05/01/2007 13:08

For some women their waters go at the start of labour and everything kicks off straight away. There is a theory though that if the membranes rupture and labour doesn't start that it may be because the baby isn't in a very good position (back to back) and so the head isn't putting enough pressure on the cervix to dilate.

If they don't go at the start of labour and aren't artifically ruptured most women seem to find that they go late on in the first stage or at the beginning of the second stage. Very occasionally a baby may be born with the membranes intact - known as 'in the caul'.

Original poster

wilkie50 · 05/01/2007 13:09

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. And here was me thinking it was a simple pop and away

Thank you ladies. Less confused now.

OP posts:

Ponka · 05/01/2007 13:09

Mine ruptured early because baby was undiagnosed breach and leaked very slowly. It didn't trigger labour. They can leak very slowly if baby is presented normally, too, apparently. They don't always go with a pop.

Original poster

wilkie50 · 05/01/2007 13:11

How do you know if it is leaky waters or lady juice then?? I seem to produce a hell of a lot of the latter. Confused again

OP posts:

DaisyMOO · 05/01/2007 13:14

Sorry, also meant to add that sometimes you can get a hindwater leak from the waters higher up. Membranes can also sometimes reseal themselves. As always there is no 'have to' about anything and some women decline induction even after 96 hours and are monitored for signs of infection.

lulumama · 05/01/2007 13:15

the water that leaks smells sweet....the discharge tends to be creamier white and odourless

if you think it is your waters, wear a pad and then have a good sniff

the hospital can check for you too

or you can have a leak of the hindwaters which can reseal and replenish before the whole lot goes!

wilkie..have you not learnt, nothing is straightforward and by the book where labour is concerned ??

AitchTwoOhOhSeven · 05/01/2007 13:17

mine broke, and had i not been strep b + they would have let me go a further 48 hours without induction. as it was i refused to let them induce me until i'd had some sleep... but i made them give me the antibiotics of course.

Original poster

wilkie50 · 05/01/2007 13:18

LOL lulumama - pregnancy is so glam (and confusing).

OP posts:

Ponka · 05/01/2007 13:18

LOL Wilkie

Well to be honest, Wilkie, I thought at first that my pelvic floor had failed me when it happened but then it just kept coming and I discovered it was pink. It's a fair trickle. You'd know it wasn't lady juice!

lulumama · 05/01/2007 13:22

never ever TMI on here is it???

AitchTwoOhOhSeven · 05/01/2007 13:25

actually, mine was not pink... it was clear but had loads and loads of white flecks in it. like bits of egg white. i asked the midwife what it was and she said she didn't know (or care, frankly). didn't much like that midwife, hence the refusal to go ahead with induction until a shift change...

lulumama · 05/01/2007 13:26

would it have been vernix, aitch?

AitchTwoOhOhSeven · 05/01/2007 13:28

i think so, but there was soooooo much of it. and you know how all the books say that it's a clear liquid, so it got me panicking that something was weird.

mumfor1standfinaltime · 05/01/2007 13:34

My waters started as a trickle in bed at around 6.00 in the morning and I thought I needed to go for a pee. I made my way to the bathroom and they gushed all over the floor!( Luckily waited until on bathroom vinyl floor!)
My contractions started 2 hours later and by 2pm my contractions were every 3 mins and off we went to hospital.

When I got to hospital the midwife was very concerened about my pad I was wearing as it 'wasn't right'. I can't remember why, but she kept asking if my waters were clear - I didn't look that closely, but they looked clear to me! I ended up with c section as ds was in distress. (Does anyone know what could have been wrong?)

lulumama · 05/01/2007 13:39

if the waters are stained brown or green it can be a sign the baby has passed meconium in the bowel, which can be a sign of distress..but should not always mean a c.s

in conjunction with other factors, it can be an indicator for quick delivery of the baby

however, when my waters went at 7 cm, DD not born for another 2 and a bit hours, my waters were stained with meconuium..all that happened as the paed had to be in the room as she was born in case she swallowed any at birth...

she was fine though..

jura · 05/01/2007 13:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

wilkie50 · 05/01/2007 13:44

I guess it's just a matter of waiting to see what happens. My mum's waters didn't go with either me or my sis and had to be broken but I don't think it is a hereditary thing.

I just find this stage of PG very frustrating (am 38 wks on Sun) cos I am so anal and like everything to be organised and concise. I would like to know exactly when LO will be arriving so I am prepared - I realise this is totally unrealistic, I'm just being a numpty

OP posts:

mumfor1standfinaltime · 05/01/2007 13:59

Wilkie - you are not being a numpty, just at a real pita time of pg! It does get so endless in those last 3 weeks. When my waters broke I was so relieved that something was happening!

lulumama - baby was in distress and his heartbeat was dropping rapidly, my blood pressure was high too. They did an ultra sound and found that ds was infact breech which is why I had c section. So everything now is a bit of a blur! Can't remember too much about it as I did pass out through some of it.

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