Did waters breaking ruin your mattress?

[gratefulmamatobe]

MIL is suggesting I should buy some kind of protector.. but others saying it's literally just water and doesn't smell etc.

Experiences and advice please!!

I feel like I was lucky reading some of these! 2 DC and both times I was just walking around in the house and felt a trickle like I'd wet myself! No spectacular gush of water. They just trickled away throughout labour.

No. I was at work. Just a trickle. I think it's rarely like on the telly/films etc.I wouldn't stress.

It does smell, but not particularly strongly.
You need a mattress protector for the stuff the baby will get on the bed even if you only pop them down for a moment. Or for toddler vomiting. But I’d reckon a towel would be enough for the chance that your waters break spectacularly at home (it’s not very common).

I was induced, but my waters went on their own and was a massive gush like in the movies. I felt funny, got out of bed and 2 seconds later there they were. It depends if there's meconium in your waters. They might not be clear.i would recommend a protector!

IME the waters breaking thing is a movie moment not rl:) mine didn't break, had to be broken same with several friends and of this that did break it more of a trickle than a gush.

Does happen though. Happened for all of mine and a huge gush initially, not a trickle! The trickle kept up after the initial huge gush as your body speeds up making it when it senses there is none there so you can have an annoying constant trickle for 24hrs hours if that’s how long labour goes after initial huge gush.

I put waterproof vinyl type of thing (got it cut from roll in material shop, just went for ultra cheap stuff), on ever surface. It went on my side of bed, where I sat on the lounge, ‘my’ dining chair, my drivers seat and my DH passenger seat. Was good choice as recycled it for all pregnancies and the only one that didn’t get a workout was the one on the dining chair. Made cleaning up so much easier.

Yes. I went in to lie down on my bed, rolled over, felt like something burst inside me and what seemed like gallons went all over the bed. I went straight into hospital and my dh sorted it out the next day. By the time we got home from hospital 3 days later, it had dried and he’d flipped the mattress but it was badly stained. There was quite a lot of blood and stuff in it. We were renting at the time and it wasn’t even our mattress 🙈
I would get one anyway as others have said it will come in handy after the babies born.

Mine have never popped at home, I’ve had 7 kids and they all got popped while in labour apart from my last, I got induced and they popped when I went to the toilet, that was a gush but luckily it didn’t go anywhere

I've put 2 incontinence pads down under my normal sheets. My waters did go in bed the first time and I was glad I did it!

On DC2 they popped spontaneously in hospital while I was in for observation and on DC3 I was in bed. Both times my pjs were soaked but it didn't ruin the sheets or anything like that

Puppy pads do the same job and you get a lot more for less money.

Not if you have had your waters full on break as opposed to a leak. I recall my first and poor DH’s car seat. My waters had already broken spectacularly in the house. We had the large vinyl square on his seat plus a large towel plus I was wearing a maternity pad. By the time we got to hospital the towel was soaking such that liquid was running down the sides and front of the car seat and soaking into the seat and carpet at the base. Got to hospital and they use the puppy pads (we don’t call them that though). Even with a pad they were replacing them on the bed or where I had stood every 15 minutes, fucking useless.

Next pregnancy, we thought we had a plan. Vinyl on the seat, 2 towels folded in 4 each, one on top of each other with me perched on top and wearing full on incontinence pants. Still had leakage but not as much.

Then we really got professional after that. I moved to the back seat which had huge piece of vinyl covering. Topped by equivalent of puppy pads all around. We had a large pile of folded towels and a huge bin bag. On the way I’d swap out folded towels that were becoming very wet before they soaked right through for fresh ones and put used in the bin bag. I also learnt to swap from proper shoes to rubber thongs after binning my shoes that had become soaked from it running down my legs despite pads etc in previous pregnancies.

Mine broke overnight whilst I was sleeping, it was a slow trickle but by the time I woke up, I was in a puddle (had first thought I wet myself! 🙈).

We use a mattress protector which protected the mattress and washing that was enough. However it wasn’t all my waters so not sure if it would have soaked through if it hadn’t been a slow trickle.

Mine broke in hospital. It was literally like someone had poured a bucket of water over my groin and legs. No way I’d want that to happen in my bed, for the sake of a few quid on a mattress protector

A waterproof mattress protector is a good idea anyway. My waters didn't break in bed so it wasn't used that way, but when my milk came in i leaked terribly and was so glad it was there.

Mine leaked out gradually and a little bit went on the sofa. It's fine. I think it depends how far along you are and where they break as to whether you'll get the gush you see in films! By the time DD was born (overdue) she was so jammed in there was hardly any amniotic fluid anyway. If your waters break at the bottom, you'll get more of a gush because of gravity. If they break at the top, changes in position will probably cause bits to leak out but mostly the waters will stay where they are (gravity again).

This part is probably TMI but amniotic fluid was not the only thing coming out of me! I hear that some women dont notice their 'show'/mucus plug but based on my experience i find that impossible to imagine. A long winded and gross way of telling you, i was wearing (and frequently changing) a pad anyway so that soaked up some of the waters.

We have always had a protector on our mattress but once I reached term I put some puppy pads on top of the protector too. Mine broke in the middle of the night whilst rolling over in bed. Initially a trickle, but as I tried to get up they flowed.

Mine broke movie style while I was laid in bed coughing. We have always had a waterproof mattress protector on.

Mine kept going and went before contractions started hence why I’m buying Tena pants for my birth end of October

I slept on a protector for weeks expecting this to happen but it didn't... my waters were broken manually by the midwives in the end. And after that happened I was glad or didn't happen suddenly on my furniture because it looked quite gross tbh

First time they popped them in labour. Second time I thought was a trickle until a huge gush came out with the baby. Fortunately for me (although possibly not for the poor doctor who got covered) I was already in hospital.

Mine didn't break at home but I bought some puppy pads that I had under my sheet and also on my seat in the car just incase 🤣

Mine went while I was asleep in bed. I expect I changed the sheet.... mattress was fine. I don't remember it being particularly messy or dramatic.

Mine broke on my mattress!! We had a topper on which we did throw away as loads came out before I could get off it!!

I know everyone says the big gush is just in the movies but mine was that dramatic.

Felt a pop and then it was like the whole ocean came out of me. Felt like I'd filled up inside and it all poured out. Went everywhere, mattress, bedsheets, clothes, DH, all soaked!!

I had some of the absorbent pads under the sheet but didn't do much as there was So much of it!

Mine went in a restaurant when I went to loo! Was just sitting on loo when they broke! Apparently standing and sitting act as a cork! Luckily they didn’t go when I stood up from table to go to loo! Typically though they don’t gush, normally if they do go themselves it’s a trickle.
mid get a cheap protector for over mattress if your worried but me I wouldn’t bother

Mine broke in real life with both boys, however not in bed, one over my office carpet and the other on the bathroom floor
OMG there was literally waves huge gush but then it didn't stop coming but I did have polyhydramnious (excess waters)!
I don't know anybody else who's else waters broke before though.
Don't know about cleaning it up though as other people had to deal with it as I was off having a baby.
I did find a waterproof mattress cover a good thing though as my boobs leaked milk a lot and then with feeding sitting in bed there was spit up etc.
I have a nice one that's not plasticky at all