Did You Know When Your Water Broke?

on May 2, 2009 at 7:05 AM

water breaking

I knew when my water broke -- I was induced, and my midwife broke my water to begin labor. That was at about 10 AM, and I was holding my new baby in my arms before 6 in the evening.

I just read a post in Pregnancy asking moms who'd delivered before if their water broke on its own or, if, like me, they were induced.

Questions around the breaking of the waters (rupturing of the membranes) are super-common for first-time preggos -- so is anxiety that it will break in a big, gushy way in a big, public place.

How and when a pregnant woman's water breaks varies widely. Sometimes it's obvious (that would be the big gush), sometimes it's only a faint trickle. Either can happen before or during labor, but only about 10 percent of women rupture the sac of amniotic fluid before labor has begun, so it's more likely that it will happen when things are already underway.

If your water does break before you're really in labor and with your healthcare provider, here's what you need to know.

And if you've given birth before, did you know when your water broke? Where were you, and what happened?

Filed Under: labor, labor & delivery

Comments (18)

amybuddy45

on May 2, 2009 at 8:52 AM

For my 1st, they broke it for me so I really did not feel it. For my 2nd, it broke as I was getting out of the car to walk into the hospital-it was weird. We will see for my 3rd.

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Tempest41

on May 2, 2009 at 9:23 AM

For my first I developed a leak but didn't really break. She was 1 month early, I went to the doctor and he said go to the hospital your in labor. They increased my labor (had been having "gas cramps" for 3 days) and after all the panic they nearly sent me into she was perfect just small... 6 hours of being in the hospital

My second my water didn't break, she was bulging (she also was like "gas cramps") the time between getting to the hospital and her birth was 45 minutes (and that's only because of all the stuff that had to be done and the doctor getting there

sarahjoyce

on May 2, 2009 at 9:35 AM

With my 2nd child my waters broke while i was sat... On the toilet!

With my 5th child my waters started leaking rather than going in a gush. I didnt even know it was happening. I was sat when i felt a leak & looked down to see a very small amount of water/blood/clot. I figured i lost my plug & called my midwife who agreed, but she asked me to go to hospital & get checked over due to my complicated medical history. During an examination while there, i was told it was my waters leaking. I never did have a contraction.

autumnsmommy02

on May 2, 2009 at 10:04 AM

Yup! I was 35 wks. 3 days pregnant. I was talking to friend on the phone and I kept having to go to the bathroom and started to notice my underwear were getting wet. I changed them and not 5 mins. later I was soaked. I went in and they checked me with some strip and sure enough it was my water. I was induced immediately cause I wasn't in labor and 29 hours later my dd was born.

giegie0726

on May 2, 2009 at 10:49 AM

For my first baby I felt a small amount of leaking, but wasn't quite sure what it was so I called the Dr.'s office and was told it was probably urine. My labor never started, so I didn't go to the hospital and had an appt to see the doc later that day and just waited. When I got there he yelled at me for not going to the hosptial. I told him that the nurse told me that it wasn't my water!! They had to induce me because my labor never did start on its own.

For my second pregnancy, I was having twins. And I was getting ready to go to the pre-natal center to get heartbeats/ultrasound and as I was getting out of the shower my water BROKE. It GUSHED and I didn't think it was going to stop. My husband was in the next room and asked what the noise was, and what spilled.

My next two pregnancies I went in to be induced and had my water broke by the doc.

Michelle20727

on May 2, 2009 at 12:10 PM

My daughter was two weeks late. I woke up one afternoon and thought I had lost all control of my bladder because I felt this constant trickle. I called my father to tell him that I thought my water broke. He told me I would know if my water broke and two seconds later I coughed and WOOSH. I knew for sure it had broken. The baby's head was like a plug and when I coughed she moved and the flood gates opened up. I had been to the hospital three times before for false labor and when I went to the hospital the midwives all knew who I was. One nurse went to check my cervix and said "lets see if your really in labor now" and when she lifted up my sheet I was sitting in a puddle of amniotic fluid. All she said was "okay then lets get you checked in." It was a great experience.

PhilsBabyMama

on May 2, 2009 at 3:05 PM

My water never broke. My son was born in the caul, which means the amniotic sac was intact around him.

Freela

on May 2, 2009 at 6:18 PM

With my first and third, my water was broken when I was in labour at the hospital. And I definitely knew. However, with my middle child my water broke when I was labouring at home and I never knew... her head was so low that even laying down the water wasn't trickling out. When she was born there was a big gush of water after her head was delivered- it was all stuck behind her head.

madamekatekate

on May 2, 2009 at 8:01 PM

With my first my water didn't really "break" just began leaking. I spent a looong time in the bathrom trying to figure out why I wasn't getting dry (It was super early, lol, cut me some slack)

Curious to see how it does with this pregnancy.

blondie09

on May 2, 2009 at 11:27 PM

With my first, my water broke at 37wks 2days. I had plans to go to lunch that day, and I got up at about 1030am to get ready, and after I peed, I stood up to pull my pants up, and WHOOSH right over the toilet... and once it broke, it didnt stop... I went through 4 pairs of pants waiting to go to the hospital...

we'll see what happens this time around