Leaky...!

[grace1991]

Hello everyone...little bit of advice please..I'm 30wks pregnant first baby. So all unknown. Over the last week or so I've noticed I'm constantly "wet." I know that sounds so gross but it's the only way I can describe it. My pj trousers which I put on clean and dry at 7pm have a damp patch now. Is this normal? Yesterday morning I was also sitting on our bed and when I stood up there was almost a white clot on the bed. No pain no contractions..Also been having quite a lot of pain in my lower abdomen every now and then. Any advice would be really appreciated sorry it's such a gross topic !!! xx

Hi OP

How are you getting on? Anymore leaking?

You sound like you’re in exactly my situation so deffo ring your hospital if so!

It may be absolutely nothing but if it’s preterm labour/waters breaking you need to act right away!

My waters broke at 25 weeks and I needed steroid injections to enhance my babies lungs. I’ve not gone into early labour yet but it could happen at any moment and it is incredibly important To get those steroids in before preterm labour!

You will also like need magnesium sulphate if you are in early labour to help baby’s brain development!

Also early labour is like a boulder rolling down a hill. You can do stuff to stop it before it properly starts but once things are moving you can’t stop them!

I know it’s scary and you don’t want to be told it’s not discharge (I was told over the phone it was discharge and it wasn’t) but not finding out doesn’t stop it happening xx

Also my leaking wasn’t continuous or just when I stood up! Sometimes there would be lots and I would change my pants and sometimes there would only be a few spots.. this was over the course of a day and a half before I went in

They key things I was asked were:

• does it smell like urine?

-is it completely liquid? Like someone ya whist tipped water in your pants

Also the pads will only tell you the colour of what you’re leaking as they’re so absorbent they will just suck up all the liquid and you won’t be able to tell how much you have leaked - this was the case for me anyway x

@MrsRose2018 it does smell a little bit like urine. And when I wipe after going for a wee it's very wet down there but I really don't know if that's just excess discharge !!!! I had a really bad night too with my bump having a low bearing down ache. Xx

Have you rung the midwife? Please do. You won't be bothering them even if it is just urine or discharge - it is always better to get checked out, which is what all the other responses you have had have said. Please make sure you do

Hi OP, I'm 32w and have had this too, it's a combination of discharge and pee in my case 😳 I very much identify with the PP who said the discharge looks like yogurt!

With regards to the pee I've found that if I need the loo and don't go ASAP I am prone to leaking, especially if something or someone makes me laugh!

So yes lots of dampness which is rather unpleasant and resulting in lots of changes of underwear and damp pyjamas.

Aww OP I'm sorry that must have been really stressful! Just give em a call honestly! At the very least you will have your mind put at rest!

I have that ache as well but was diagnosed with SPD! With pregnancy it can be something or nothing...

@Christmastree43 @Whiffle77 just spoken to maternity triage. They have said it sounds more like thrush but higher up. Advised I try a canesten pessary to see if that does anything and then if it persists then to get back in touch. Swear they palm everything off as thrush. I struggled to pass urine a few weeks ago and they said it was thrush. Turns out it was a UTI. So don't know what else to do now

So when I called up they said it was either thrush or a UTI and I just knew that wasn't right. I just had this gut feeling! Also I've had thrush and UTIs enough to know what their symptoms are and also I've had discharge since getting my periods at 12 and nothing I had was like any of these!

You know your body and you know what feels right and what doesn't! Just don't ignore anything and keep an eye on yourself x

@MrsRose2018 exactly!!! Don't really know where to turn to now though, can't just turn up at the maternity ward

OP this is your baby and this is both do your health you absolutely can turn up to the Mayer it's ward if you feel something is wrong and you are not being listened to!!

This is your first baby (mine to) and you have nothing to compare it to! Also mumsnet whilst an excellent resource is terrible for conflicting advice! For every women who says they had the same as you and was fine you have a woman saying it wasn't!

My leaking started on a Tuesday morning, I called in the afternoon and was, I felt, fobbed off by the midwife/person I spoke to. On Wednesday early afternoon it was still leaking so I called back and spoke to a different person and she goes "oh no that doesn't sound like discharge does it, we can't ignore that, you'd better pop in". I was admitted at 7pm that evening for observation as I was diagnosed with premature rupture of membranes.

I don't want to scare you at all as I believe I may have spoken with @Christmastree43 about this exact thing and she was fine/it was discharge etc but IMO in pregnancy it is ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry! You will never ever bother or annoy a midwife for making sure - and if you do, who gives a shit! Worse case scenario you annoy someone and you know your baby is fine!

Corona is changing things and whilst care standards aren't slipping the units are really trying to make sure women don't come in unnecessarily and get them to watch and wait carefully at home before going in!

Sorry this post was longer than I intended but basically what I'm saying is, if you aren't 100% satisfied with what's going on or what you've been told you keep nagging till you're checked out xx

Maternity ward*

Hi OP, so sorry you're going through this stress.

I agree with @MrsRose2018. Its so important to get checked out in person if something doesn't feel quite right. The hospital can't know it's thrush just by speaking to you on the phone.

Don't worry about the fact that you've already spoken to them - they'll still want to see you in person if you have any worries at all, just as they would if you had reduced movements. If it turns out to be discharge then it will put your mind at rest and you can relax again. If it's your waters, then you'll be in the best place to get the care you need for you and baby.

Your symptoms sound exactly like mine, and in my case it was my waters. They leaked very slowly, off and on, over the course of a week. The first doctor who examined me told me it was stress incontinence, and it was only when I went back in a week later and got a swab test that confirmed it was in fact my waters. I hesitated about whether to go in and in the end I was so glad I did.

Xx

Hi OP, I’ve been following your thread - if you’re not happy with the advice given I’d just ring back and ask to be seen?

As others have said if you're still worried then ring back. At the very least I'd ring your gp, they can put a swab behind reception for you to do yourself then you can at least confirm or rule out thrush.

Thankyou all!! I appreciate each and every one of your advice. It means a lot. Xxxxx

I can't advise regarding your leaking (but really hope everything is ok for you), but I just wanted to say that my experience atm is that antenatal care is definitely NOT as good as I would hope. Whether that's the fault of coronavirus, or whether I'm just having bad luck, who knows (it's my first pregnancy).

I still had to fight some doctor yesterday in order to get a test that the consultant had intended to do 4 weeks ago (in accordance with NICE guidelines), but this doctor had cancelled and was telling me I didn't need (a check on my cervical length, as I am at higher risk of cervical incompetence/premature labour due to previous cervical treatment). I didn't want to be that awkward person, but at the end of the day I'd rather be awkward and be sure my baby is safe. The consultant was more than happy to do the test (like I said, she'd intended it to be done before!), but had I gone to that appointment without having done my research then I would've 100% been sent home without the test - worst case, I could lose my baby from something they could've prevented.

Don't be afraid to stand your ground. It's your baby and your body, not theirs. Hope all is well.

If I were you I would actually just rock up there and asked to be seen. I was equaly dismissed by a person who picked up the phone whe nI was very worried about something, she told me I could come "If I felt there was a need" and that she could not tell me what to do, in the most disengaged and bored voice ever. I turned up and gave birth a few hours later. They will not turn you away!

Thankyou! Yes antenatal care is genuinely horrendous at the moment. Haven't even been told where to go if I go into labour. Feel lonely and lost in it all

How are you getting on OP?

If you’re still worried in any way (I know I would be) please call triage back and state that you are concerned your waters have gone and they will have too see you.

FWIW I was unsure at 27 weeks and called and they wanted to see me. Turns out it was a heavy watery discharge. BUT they said I was to call straight back if I was worried as they don’t mess about with premature water rupture. They didn’t think I was a drama queen, I was a worried mum who followed nhs guidance.