how does water break happen?

[mum2015]

I am planning to come to work till 39 week of pregnancy (currently 33 weeks). This involves a commute of around an hour and half each way and 9 to 5:30 desk job. In my last pregnancy labour started with contractions and I had plenty of time before I actually needed to go to hospital and I dont remember how and when water break happened.

Does water break like a period but just water, or is it a huge gush of water suddenly? I am really terrified of the idea of water breaking in middle of commute or my office hours!!! Are there any signs before it actually happens? Will incontinence pad be enough to deal with it till i can reach home/hospital?

Sorry to say this I had two maternity pads and one of those hospital bed pad things in my knickers and I still had puddles on the floor everytime I stood up for the whole 24 hours I was without waters. Yes it does smell really bad like a teenage boys bedroom.

I was 37 weeks. Just before I went to bed I looked at the mattress protector in its packet and thought "I should probably put that on soon, I'll do it tomorrow"

Went to the loo around 2 am. Stood up after I'd finished, felt a really odd pop-pop sensation and ridiculous amounts of fluid gushed out of me. Thankfully I was still over the loo!

But it kept coming. And coming. WEdged a towel between my legs and waddled back to the bedroom to wake DH to get him to pack the hospital bag (ooops). Waddled back to the loo and he packed the bag on the bathroom floor while I shouted directions.

With No2 I didn't even realise they'd gone.

oh dear. it is getting scarier than the actual labour! I have carpets all over the house except bathroom and kitchen!
Mattress protector added to the shopping list now. I wasnt thinking of maternity pad but the incontinence ones like those tena lady night time types but may be those wont be enough either...

With my first i was having contractions in my back for about 5 hours before my waters broke. They had told me i was showing no signs of labour until then lol. I had a small amount at first but then it was a gush, and just before i felt like i really needed a poo lol
With my 2nd my waters broke in the night and that was a gush too. I started having contractions about 2 hours later. Was also told i wasnt going to have my baby any time soon this time too, how wrong they were lol.
Different both times
You could take a towel with you to sit on lol

@Bluerose27 i bought an elasticated one with a fabric top and plastic underside from asda. I put it on on the wednesday and my waters broke on the thursday night 😮

I worried about this and both times it only broke while I was in labour at the hospital and even then I think the midwife broke them! It is likely you will have had either some contractions or at least a show before the waters break so I doubt you will be caught completely unawares (though of course it is possible)!

My waters broke at 38+4 weeks, whilst I was in bed and it was a proper gush and I was soaked! I had to get hubby to get me a towel so I could try to stop the flow to get to the bathroom. When I got there I just stood in the bath for about 20 mins with it pouring out. No maternity pad could stop that!

I did have a little warning in that my mucus plug had come away that morning. But I had read it could still be weeks until I went into labour so I wasn't really expecting anything.

3 kids here

2 out of 3 - waters broke hours after starting labour
1 - waters broke before labour started. I had a nap, woke up from nap and felt urge to pee. As soon as I stood up, the 'bladder' let go and I thought I was being incontinent. Ran into toilet, then it went on and on....

4 labours, only 1 without water breaking as first sign. 2 it was gushes that came Everytime I moved. A pad of any sort wouldn't hold it. It soaked through trousers, maternity pads, towel, everything. The other it was hind waters that went; an initial gush then very little. That one would have been manageable with Tena lady pants!

All 3 times my water broke in the night. There was a click or pop and a pressure change, followed by the gushing.

I had a mattress protector and slept on a towel the last two weeks of my pregnancy as we'd bought a brand new bed and I was so worried my waters would break in the night! They did break at 6am and I managed to jump up as soon as I felt "wet" and they trickled, after inspection (sniffing) to make sure it wasn't pee they continued to trickle all the way to the hospital and during my examination where it was like niagra falls (poor midwife) and I was told my baby had lots of hair...contractions were 2 minutes apart as soon as waters went and he was born under 7 hours later so not long really for first baby and nowhere near as long as I expected. Didn't experience a "pop" or "gush" like on TV!

By the way all 3 times no contractions prior to water breaking in my case!

I was lay on my DMs new couch, watching telly whilst waiting for my ' last hot supper' to be cooked, as I was booked in for an induction the day after. Felt a 'pop' and out they came. No other signs whatsoever.

My waters went with a pop and gushed everywhere. The bed was soaked. No signs before hand and contractions started an hour later. It really does smell like semen. Grim! The midwife tried to tell me that it doesn't smell but mine definitely did.

My waters went at 35 weeks and I was soaked through on the way to the hospital. I had two maternity pads on and a towel between my legs and my trousers were drenched by the time we got to the hospital. Every time I moved I was soaked again. Second time my hind waters broke so only tiny leaks until my waters were fully broken at hospital and I flooded the bed 😂

Also I had no warning prior to waters breaking.

I was a week overdue and thoroughly fed up so went to the pub to do the Sunday night quiz. Waters broke half way through and gushed everywhere. No signs at all until that point and didn't start contractions for another 12 hours or so. Second labour they were broken for me in hospital. I had maternity bed pad things but they never got used! What will be will be, don't stress about it too much :-)

Just to be different.. Had a waters leak with DS2, but resealed itself, and after,ahem, some discussion about the desirability of induction, went home, and gave birth at home a week later.
In no other labour can I remember the waters going, I think that means they didn't go till I was in transition, thinking better of the whole idea, and beyond noticing. No dramatic gushing at any point.

This is scary. I have DSIL's wedding 4 days before my due date, and was hoping that I could just wear a maternity pad and might be able to subtly remove myself if necessary.

For those of you who had waters break later, what were the first signs you were in labour? Like how did you know? We'll be in central London for the wedding and will have a longish drive back home for the hospital.

With my first I was in the birth pool and didn't realise they'd gone, didn't feel anything. Second time my waters broke with a big pop and gush all over the midwife as she was helping me in the birth pool, poor woman!

I had a "show" (bloody mucous) and strong contractions. My waters never broke naturally and the MW did it in the labor room.

My waters didn't break until my sons head was delivered it just sort of shot out, midwife said I should feel less pressure but I didn't. I had really bad contractions but thought they were braxton hicks because my waters didn't break I didn't loose my mucus plug or have a show, so be warned sometimes you get no warning and an hour later there is a baby in your arms.

I remember being told in antenatal classes it's pretty unusual for them to break before labour is established, it's not like on TV.

Mine didn't break until I started pushing.

I spent the first fifteen minutes of childbirth sitting on the loo in the small hours Googling "waters breaking or wetting self?" - so that pretty much describes my experience...

Mine went, while sitting on a chair, waiting to be assessed to see how far along in labour I was, felt a pop then 2 big gushes, baby born about 20 mins later

Hindwaters are slowish but constant (you would need to be changing a towel hourly at least) but forewaters are a huge gush and also keeps coming out.