Waters breaking...

[DIANNEKB]

Hi All,

Was wondering if you can all tell me what it's like when your waters break.. I am 23 weeks pregnant (and my waters havent broken but am curious....) I wanted to know if it's a huge gush of water or a trickling...
I have really bad pelvic floor muscles at the moment and my urine leaks whenever I sneeze... which is almost constantly being it's hayfever season and all... I am trying to strengthen them but remembering to do them is the hardest thing... If anyone has tips on that as well I would be grateful.

I really was just wondering so that when the time comes to give birth I know when they have broken.

Thanks
(sorry if it was to much info) :)

[wattle]

I think it can be different for different people. My waters broke when I was in bed, I was sort of awake and felt a little pop sensation. Nothing painful, and I wasn't sure what had happened. I thought I had lost a bit of bladder control and got up to go to the toilet.

When I got up the 'leaking' stopped so I went back to bed. I started leaking again, so I got up again, but it stopped again. phew. This happened a few times. (When you're standing upright the baby's head moves down around the cervix and slows/stops the flow). There was quite a bit of fluid (I put a heap of towels on the bed and tried to go back to sleep - ha) and it took about an hour to all come out.

I rang the hospital a few hours later and they told me to have a shower and go in. Contractions didn't start for me, so I was induced 16 hours later and then had 8 hours of labour.

Hope it goes well for you. :D

[Jamily]

Hello,

My waters didn't break until Emily's head was crowning. I heard and felt a popping at the time.

I used an epi-no for training my pelvic floor - I think it worked as it seems fine

:)

[nemosmum]

Its different for every one but with mine I went to the toilet and I had the big gush of water.......it was just like in the movies LOL :D

It was so funny looking back, as I was in the hospital when it happened and the midwife was outside the toilet asking if I was okay. She opened the door to find me on the floor trying to clean up the mess I'd made. It didnt hurt or anything but she told me to wipe down there(sorry if thats too much info) and check and see if the water was clear. It wasnt but thats a whole other thread :)

[alissa-mareesmum]

Hi, for me i was in labour for just over 2.5 days when my waters finally broke, for me i heard and felt the pop and then my waters gushed out, i had no control of the gush not that i would fight what my body wanted to do anyway. It was not painful or even uncomfortable, i personally felt very emotional as i knew the birth would be near. The next contraction was intense and they stayed that way i gave birth to alissa 8 hours later. It is also good to keep in mind that your waters may not break some babes entre the world with their membraines still in tack.

Good luck with the remainder of your pregnancy and the birth of your babe.

[Kamaikia]

I got a slight contraction - which I thought was just a braxton hicks as I had 3 days to go and had no braxton hicks yet. Straight after this my waters broke. I was in bed trying to sleep.
It was a small amount and I thought that maybe I had wet myself so I went to the toilet and emptied my bladder.
As soon as I layed down it came again, lots of little gushes.
And between these gushes I had the urge to go to the toilet like normal. Contractions were 5 minutes apart for ages, but gradually getting longer and harder.
You definetly know the difference. Sounds gross but if you are unsure put a pad on and smell it after awhile - It won't smell and should be a clear fluid. (before my midwifes would consider a internal they did this - I was horrified)

[tickle]

I woke at 5am and thought something was a bit wet down there. Got up to go to the toilet and there was a huge gush and it was EVERYWHERE.
I think many women also get a trickle though.
It has a distinct smell though. My midwife said it smelt like sperm....strangly enough I thought it did.

[melfunction]

Hi,
mine broke in bed. thought i'd peed myself - der. I didn't know wot was happening - der again. As I got out of bed, a big gush came out and agin when I got to the loo and again when I woke up dh (who had been shoved into spare bedroom) as I sat on his bed (funny) It was him who said that maybe my waters broke (I had no idea). Didn't get any contractions for 4 hours then had Kaiden 2 hours 20mins later.

[jaydensmum]

Diannekb- Believe me you'll know when your waters breaks! Sometimes its just a trickle and others its a gush. Everybody is different and every birth is different. I had a gush and there was heaps of water and it was very warm. I had a gush because they broke my waters. Also when the water breaks its not like urine. Urine has an ammonium smell to it compared to the 'waters' which is a sweet smell. Not that i think you would smell it anyway! :D Also it hasnt got colour in it compared to urine which usually has some type of colour.

jaydensmum.

[funnyfarm]

My waters broke in bed. I wasn't sure so i went to the toilet and nothing. I then got back into bed and i began to leak again. There was no gush just a slight trickle. After this i was into full on labour contractions starting at every 3 minutes and very intense. I gave birth 4 hours later.

[Miaow]

Also it hasnt got colour in it compared to urine which usually has some type of colour.


Just thought I'd mention that the fluid can have a colour - they went through this in our antenatal classes to make sure you note what colour the waters are - , clear and milky and slight pinkish are ok - Red means blood in there also so is not good at all and greenish or brown can mean the baby has passed meconium which isnt good also...

They said you should put on a pad and bring that in to the hospital with you so they can check colour etc

[Siennasmum]

Mine broke two weeks early.In bed too, like lots of you.Must be quite common. Cause I wasn't expecting it either, I didn't realize! :o
I sneezed in bed & a bit leaked.I thought this was due to me being slack with the old PF exercises.Anyway,I kept needing to go pee quite frequently during night,and after I finished it would keep trickling.By now I was thinking I really should have done those PF exercises.Der.I started having contractions,which I thought were braxton hicks.Der.Everyone told me I'd know when it happened.I didn't.Der.Maybe cause I'm blonde.It became blatantly obvious after having laboured for 6hrs,when I needed to go pee AGAIN!But this time it leaked all over the floor,it was a pale yellow color,which looked like urine.
Anyway,by this stage my contractions were 5 mins apart.Yes I'd finally admitted to myself I was in labour.So off we went to hospital! :D

[nkenward]

Hi Dianne,

Mine occurred in bed at about 2:30am (most of the time it will be during the night - so I have been told), but I felt a 'pop' and then a gush of liquid - at the time it felt like I had wet myself. But I had trouble trying to control it - so I knew that it must be my waters. I was little nervous though - cause I was 4 weeks early - but everything turned out ok.

The other way to know is to take a sniff (a bit gross, but what isn't during pregnancy), you will be able to tell if it is urine or not.

[kimmy]

With my first my water broke when i was in bed asleep i woke to a big wet patch i also thought i peed the bed this was around midnight, went to the toilet a more gushed out so i woke my partner & called both mums call the hospital they said have a shower & came in all of that time fluid was comeing out. 4 hours latter i had a baby boy.with my little girl my water didnt break till my first push, it just felt like a big gust of flouid & 15mins latter i had a baby girl so i think it is diffrent for everyone