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?

Fuzzy
It depends if baby's head plugs the leak with hindwaters. I had a couple of gushes then nothing much, the odd splosh if I coughed. Very different from forewaters which were gushing with every step, impossible to keep off trousers etc even with huge maternity pads in situ.

My first time my waters were broken, the second I had reabsorbed my waters, the third they went after my contractions were well established.

With both of mine they broke while I was sat on the loo, luckily! I thought my wee just wouldn't stop. It was that sort of flow. But when it hadn't stopped in like, five minutes, I realised it was waters. Maternity pads WILL NOT protect your dignity!

@BertieBotts my waters have before labour with both my pregnancies. It's the first sign for me that labour is coming and then I have very quick births lol first was 3 hours and second was 2 hours

Waters went before labour here twice. Both big gushes and unmistakable.

Labour with dc1 was furious and painful though not super fast. Midwife said it can be more painful with waters gone.

With dc2 contractions were not as painful though.

I felt a massive pressure in bed and they went. It felt like I was pooled in urine however I was getting early contractions

Mine suddenly broke when I stood up - no warning, no contractions. It was like Niagara Falls - I actually began to wonder how a baby fitted in there with all of the fluid coming out. I got through five towels going upstairs (which is when the projectile vomiting and contractions started).

reminisces fondly

Mine went at work . It was about 6.30pm and there was me and 2 others there

I'm self employed so had no choice but to work. I was wearing a pair of Tena lady pants at the time and I think they sucked up maybe 5% of what came out.

I'd been having niggles for days but was only 38 weeks gone (and naively believed as it was my first that I would go over).

One of my male staff had to run out and get some carpet cleaner and sit there scrubbing the floors and my desk chair while DH came and carted me off to the hospital

He never could look at me properly again and resigned two months later. I try not to take it personally though.

In my only proper labour they didn't go. Midwife and I agreed to pop them 10 hours into labour as they were bulging and I wanted to get in the birthing pool. She used the crochet hook of poppingness and wisely stood to one side as it fountained across the room :)

Mine went pop and gushed. And kept gushing. That shocked me. I don't agree it smells like sperm though - I thought it was a much sweeter smell (flooded the toilet floor so we could smell it for a while after!) but it does have that "this is an internal body fluid" tang to it.

DS1 I was sitting at my desk at home finishing up some stuff for work, got up and woosh - it was a bit of a surprise as I was only 36wks, they continued to dribble for a couple of hours after the initial gush.
It was on my cream carpet & DH (who is usually quite useless at this kind of thing) cleaned it up and you would never have known.
DS2 broke at 37 weeks on the loo floor as I was putting on my gown for my planned section. I was glad this one went at hospital though as I had polyhydramnios (too much fluid) and it was like a tidal wave, that just kept coming.
However out of all my close friends I am the only one whose waters broke dramatically most of them went whilst in labour.

I've had 4 babies, on my first I was leaking waters, little trickles for 24 hrs before my contractions started, easily manageable. My second the waters were broken at 8cm. 3rd waters went with a massive gush just before labour started (so much water it was everywhere!) 4th I was at the pushing stage of labour before waters popped (followed by baby) so it can be different on every pregnancy. Midwives had said it's common for waters to break before labour on first pregnancy but unusual on subsequent pregnancies.

Mine broke both times once I was already in established labour.
With the first I already had the epidural in so didn't feel anything - in fact I thought I'd weed myself.
The second was a MASSIVE contraction and then it was like a balloon bursting and it all came gushing out.
There was no way I would have still been at work if I was still working IYGWIM.

I woke up in the morning with wet pants like I'd weed myself. Didn't know was my water breaking as was expecting gushes!

I woke up on my due date needing the toilet. Got out of bed and took five steps and it was like wetting myself but all of it in one go rather than trickle. There wasn't loads of water though, think my pyjamas got soaked but not a mopping job.

My contractions started immediately and were intense, even though baby didn't arrive for another ten hours. I don't think I would have managed a tube journey.

All the best!

My waters breaking was the first sign of labour for both DC. Luckily both times I was at home. There was an audible 'pop'. Once I was on the loo and the second time I was watching a scary film on the sofa. I had initial gush of water (needed a towel to catch it) and then was ok wearing those giant inco knickers that are like nappies. I assume because the babies head then plugs the cervix so it's just a steady trickle.

DH always assumes I've wet myself but yes the smell is quite different, I think spermy but sweeter.

The first time I had a slow leak... so slow that I suspected it was just my bladder going haywire. Had a midwife appointment the same day (I was only 36 weeks), mentioned it, she looked at me and sent me to hospital. Couldn't believe it when I was checked and the doctor said "Waters are gone, baby is coming...!" Five minutes later I had the first perceptible contraction, four hours later baby was born....

The second time I made it to 39 weeks and made one of my many loo trips in the middle of the night. Went back to bed and there was a perceptible "pop" inside... and it came gushing! Soaked the bed completely. Baby born 5 hours later!

Mine broke around 3 hours into hard contractions, I'd just stood up from the bed after a cervical check and my waters broke when I moved. Got it all over the midwife's shoes!