This is common concern for many pregnant women who are getting close to term. We worry about our water breaking while at work or while shopping or at the worst times like in the middle of a wedding. The fact is that we can’t know for sure when it will happen but only about 15% of women experience their water breaking before labor actually starts. This means that for the majority of us, we will be in the hospital or at the least have a heads up that Labor has started before the bag of water actually breaks.
Did My Water Break?
While some women have a slow leak, that is very uncommon. What isn’t uncommon though is the worry over if we have one. I have noticed that more often than not in the due date group of 800 women that while many worry they have a leak, very few actually do. More often it has been a bladder leak or a lot of normal discharge.
In my experience, there is no missing when my water has broken. While only 15% of women end up with their water breaking before labor, I have had this happen now with 4 our of 7 births. 3 of those times where when I was in bed relaxing or sleeping, once I was in a chair at home comfortable. This past Friday night at just 35 weeks and 1 day I woke up a bit past midnight to a gush of fluid. There was no mistaking what it was. I was instantly awake. The scent was kind of sweet and the color was clear. I stood and there was another gush. Just so much fluid. I got to the bathroom and yet another gush. I wasn’t having contractions but I knew we didn’t have time to wait. I put a Depend on in hopes of saving the new vans seat from getting wet though with how much water I had leaked already I doubted there was more.
If your water breaks, call your doctor and head to Labor and Delivery!
Have at least 2 towels in the car to protect the seat, and maybe a third for the wheel chair at the hospital or to cover your soaked pants. The Depend Active Fit (You can get a free sample at the link!) was great for protecting our van but when I stood up to get in the wheel chair there was another gush and I can only guess how much worse it would have been had I not had a Depend on. Labor was well underway by the time I got to a room and again I was reminded just how much water we have as each contraction brought forth more water. It was amazing!
Be Ready For Your Water To Break
Just in case your water does break it is a great idea to again, keep towels ready in your car, a bag with extra pants and pads or Depends to help you not leak all over the place on the way to the hospital! If you think you have a leak, just go in to be checked, better safe than sorry. Remember the chance of your water breaking isn’t high so just be ready and try not to worry!
With my first one I was induced in the hospital. With my second one my water broke at 36 1/2 weeks while I way laying down in bed. It was a LOT of water. When we got to hospital they didn’t believe my water broke because it wasn’t still leaking and had to do a swab test to make sure. IDIOTS KEPT ASKING if I was SURE it broke and maybe I just peed myself!
I can see that happening with them asking over and over if you were sure your water broke. That happened with my son as well. Water broke at 5pm, and he didn’t have a lot of water and as labor was so light I didn’t get to the hospital till 9pm, and they made me wait over an hour in the waiting room not believing I was in labor or that my water had broken. They checked me and I was at 7cm and then was holding baby about 20 minutes later! There seems to be a culture around birthing that women are not listened to or trusted for some reason.