If your waters were slowly leaking, what did it feel like?

[Ismo456]

Just that, 37 weeks, keep feeling the odd dribble, underwear always feels a bit damp.

pelvic floor was completely shot before this pregnancy anyway from my other DC’s - so not sure if I’m getting the odd drips of wee, or if it’s waters.

waters only went in the thick of labour with previous so have nothing to compare to!

I managed to collect some of the water and took it in a little bottle when I saw the doctor at the hospital. They agreed it was my waters leaking and not urine. You can see the difference.

With my first my waters went before labour started but i could feel a trickle everytime I moved, so whilst I was up walking around trying to get my body into labour it was continuously trickling out- I used all the maternity pads I had bought for post partum before I gave birth!

Everyone can be different though so if you're unsure it might be worth contacting triage where they can do a swab to check for amniotic fluid.

Sounds gross but my midwife told me that I'd know it was waters if it smelt like sperm 🤮 she was right though, it does!

I didn't notice, and when they opened me up in an EMCS at 42 weeks he was bone dry in there....so I'd always say err on the side of caution.

Hi Op,
please please read this. When I was 40 weeks I stood up from the toilet and had a what could only be described as a dribble of water run down my leg onto the floor. It didn’t seem enough to be my waters and just seemed like a bit more wee by thought odd as I’d just emptied my bladder. I called the hospital and they said it would be more of my waters and to monitor it. Anyway I was due for a sweep 2 days later (my 3rd one 😫 they started them at 39 for me due to fluid being up and down). At the appointment I told the midwife about the dribble and she said she would swap before sweep just to be on the safe side. Turned out my hind waters had gone, it was now past 24 hours which puts you at high risk of getting an infection. She said I would have to be induced today, I wasn’t even able to go home to get my bag etc. it was very stressful. I had my waters broke an hour later and I won’t go into detail but an awful labour. PLEASE if you think this is happening go and get swabbed, I know it is a faff but it is so worth it. If I had listened to my gut I may have been able to avoid the above. X

Sounds like it could be waters. Smell would be the biggest giveaway. They get you to lie down in hospital and then check to see if it pools. They can also dip test it. Pop a pad on and call triage, they might want to see any pads.

They just swap you now😊

It started feeling like I was peeing myself around 33 weeks. Not constantly, but if I was walking for a long time or got up suddenly there would be a trickle, enough to start showing through my leggings. In fact I thought I WAS just peeing myself and I did nothing until at 35 weeks my waters really broke in the night and I went into labour. I ended up with quite a nasty infection and my DS had to be handed to my husband after birth because I was unwell. So do get it checked out if you have any concerns.

You need to go to hospital to get it checked out op, go now.

Mine felt like a tiny gush everytime I stood up, you know that feeling when you come on your period and you can feel it in your knickers.
I was told by the hospital that I had probably just wet myself, I was already 40+3 at that stage and hadn't wet myself the entire pregnancy. After 2 days of it happening I demanded to be seen and good thing I did because not only was I in active labour, there was also meconium in my waters.

Can I ask how? Is it a different colour?

I’ve definitely not got this much. I’m thinking it’s wee, seems to be the odd few drops and only for about 15 mins after I’ve had a wee!

How awful! Thanks for this. It hasn’t happened again but I will ring midwife if I get another drip x

What does it smell like? Waters have a very sweet, smell. I didn't realise my hind waters had gone until they turned pink (and I went to the assessment unit) but I'd been smelling a really sweet smell for about a week prior to that when I went to the loo.

if in doubt go get checked out as the risk of infection is high.

I'd go and get checked, honestly not worth the risk of infection. Speaking from experience

You might not 'get another drip' though so don't delay and get seen by a professional now. I only got one little trickle and it turned out it was waters as confirmed by the midwives. It happens. Sorry to be blunt but please don't 'wait for another drip' as it may be waters yet nothing more could come so you could have a false sense of security.

I had random small gushes at the end of my first pregnancy which I assumed were wee and the triage midwives told me they were likely wee, it had been 5 days till they invited me in and found it was waters. At that point I had to be induced because of the risk of infection so I would call them if I were you.

Agree with everyone else - call the midwife. They won't think you daft for checking. I'd just had a wee when mine happened and I was about to stand up and something else trickled out but it didn't feel like more wee. I then had little gushes/dribbles every time I stood up. Midwives said to put a pad on and weigh it after a couple of hours. I did and then they asked me to come in and they swabbed it. Was indeed my waters. They told me if active labour didn't start within 24hrs I would have to be induced. It certainly wasn't a dramatic gush like you see in films. I really didn't know if it was my waters or not until they checked.

I had low waters, discovered at a scan two days after my due date. The day of the scan my bump did all of a sudden look almost vacuum packed! Just outline of baby! I didn't have any idea how they were low, no gush or anything. Maybe they had been slowly leaking for sometime and I just thought I was wetting myself. Luckily I was induced there and there and then. DH had to bring the bags up the hospital as I wasn't allowed home. Thank god they did induce me as my son was struggling and was born with a rash all over his body from an infection and they believed he had sepsis. He was on antibiotics for 5 days and in special care. I dread to think how poorly he would have become if I hadn't had that scan and waited to go into labour naturally. Go and get checked if you think they may be leaking, even to put your mind at rest.

You know your body, you have lived in it for years. I was told repeatedly in hospital that "if your waters had broken you'd know about it, keep walking up and down the corridor". My waters had broken. Get checked out.

Mine really wasn't much. But I happened to have an appointment that day and mentioned it, and the midwife sent me to the triage unit. They swabbed me and it was my waters. I was only 34 weeks so they kept me in for two nights, gave me steroids and antibiotics, and sent me home to either go in to labour, or come back to be induced at 37 weeks.

I didn't continue to feel more leaks. And when in labour they had to break the water in front of DD, so it must have just be a small leak from behind her. So definitely get checked if you're worried, it won't necessarily be a continuous flow.

Do you not think it was an awful labour due to he induced rather than hind waters having gone ? @Sammie1990 inductions are notorious for being a shit show . Sorry you had a rough time x

Hi
yea it was definitely but my point was because it was missed everything was rushed and in a hurry which added to the already stressful situation or giving birth!