How does the waters part work with labour?

[highheavenn]

With both my children:

First baby I was induced but my waters broke naturally not long after.

Second baby his waters broke early at 37 +4 weeks due to a E.coli infection.

I'm seeing people on TikTok live who are waiting for their waters to be broken by the midwives. They have to do this on the birth unit.

I thought labour could take a while after waters break? My first contractions started shortly after and my second the contractions started maybe 4/5 hours after!

Confused as I see people saying there baby was born 10 minutes after there waters broke (by midwives) or some people say a hour. How does your body get to 10cm that quick it's confusing x

I recall being told this too. It was a good thing I had been told otherwise I would probably have assumed I wet myself. I was walking up the stairs to go to bed when my forewaters broke. It was the opposite of the dramatic scenes you see in films. I ended up in maternity to check my waters had broken. Nearly 35 hours later the midwife broke my hind waters as I was exhausted and they were worried the baby would get distressed. That was about an hour before he was born.

I had the 'movie/TV water-breaking moment' where I was just walking around, minding my own business at 39 +1 and my waters just broke spontaneously and soaked the floor! Contractions started within 10 mins.

Would have rather have had waters going during later stages of active labour tbh. Friends tell me contractions before waters break less painful than the contractions after waters have gone... didn't get to find that out!

1st baby: MW broke waters to try to hurry things along when I was about 5cm dilated iirc. I'm not sure why she offered; I regretted allowing her to do it as I think it made contractions more painful.

2nd and 3rd babies were v similar births: both at home in the evening after older siblings were in bed; short third stage after a day of slow contractions. Waters went about five mins before each baby was born, but I never got to see the flood as I was in the pool!

DC1 – waters did break but who knows when in the general roaring bloody chaos of the thing
DC2 – planned section

In my NCT group there was a bit of everything: from classic TV “waters break everywhere and contractions begin” to a baby being born in its bag. Like everything childbirth, it’s a lottery.

I was in labour about 6 hours, before midwife burst waters. Baby was born about 10 mins later

With my first, my waters broke on their own nearly 12 hours after contractions started.

With my second they broke at 34 weeks so I was given antibiotics and induced at 37 weeks.