Let's paint a picture of a really common way for labour to begin. Your close to your due date or maybe even a few days or weeks over and you wake up one morning to wet underwear. Did you accidentally wet yourself?
Probably not as you walk around and realise it keeps happening. That's because your waters' have broken! YAY
Another scenario could also be that you feel a pop or a small gush and instantly know that your labour is beginning.
So what do you do now that your waters have broken?
Probably not as you walk around and realise it keeps happening. That's because your waters' have broken! YAY
Another scenario could also be that you feel a pop or a small gush and instantly know that your labour is beginning.
So what do you do now that your waters have broken?
Should you go to the hospital?
Why would I stay at home for longer?
What to do when your water breaks?
What is going on right now?
So you're waters have broken and your wondering what to do. Good questions to ask are:
"Do I feel my baby moving?"
"Is there blood I am concerned about?"
"Do I feel like I need to check in with someone?"
"Do the waters smell funky (they should smell like sperm)
"Are my water's an unexpected colour?" (See here)
"Do I feel my baby moving?"
"Is there blood I am concerned about?"
"Do I feel like I need to check in with someone?"
"Do the waters smell funky (they should smell like sperm)
"Are my water's an unexpected colour?" (See here)
What are my decisions about induction?
It's good to know what you want to do about being induced before you go into labour. This is what is so important about birth planning. It's not stating, "I don't want to be induced," and hoping for the best, it's knowing what is your preference and then considering what you would do and act if induction suddenly became a conversation that you needed to have.
Now if you find yourself in this scenario, you can evaluate the reasons why you would or wouldn't consider an induction and see if they help you now.
Now if you find yourself in this scenario, you can evaluate the reasons why you would or wouldn't consider an induction and see if they help you now.
Do I know the actual risks to my baby?
When the bag of waters have opened then your little babies environment has now changed. Although there are still many layers of protection, there is a potential for you to develop an amniotic infection this is called chorioamnioitis or chorio for short. It's a low possibility, but the risk is still there.
The most important study that has ever been done on term PROM is the “Term PROM” study. This high quality study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Hannah et al., 1996)
Between the years of 1992-1995, a group of researchers from 72 hospitals enrolled 5,041 low-risk women from six different countries. They came to the conclusion that when inducing your labour there was a 4% rate of infection and when waiting up to 4 days in labour, there was an 8.6% rate of infection.
Bear in mind that this is not your personal risk, but gives you an idea that the risk is there, small and always present, even for the induction group.
The most important study that has ever been done on term PROM is the “Term PROM” study. This high quality study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Hannah et al., 1996)
Between the years of 1992-1995, a group of researchers from 72 hospitals enrolled 5,041 low-risk women from six different countries. They came to the conclusion that when inducing your labour there was a 4% rate of infection and when waiting up to 4 days in labour, there was an 8.6% rate of infection.
Bear in mind that this is not your personal risk, but gives you an idea that the risk is there, small and always present, even for the induction group.
Do you have Group Strep B?
All of the countries included in the "Term PROM" Study didn't routinely test for this common and usually normal vaginal bacteria at that time. This means that if you are GBS positive and your water breaks, it seems that you can use this data in your decision making process.
That being said, if you are positive for GBS you have to make a decision whether you will accept antibiotics in labour. If you do, then you may want to go into the hospital to begin them.
That being said, if you are positive for GBS you have to make a decision whether you will accept antibiotics in labour. If you do, then you may want to go into the hospital to begin them.
How can I reduce my risk when my water breaks?
There are actually things that can limit and seriously enhance your chances of infection too. According to Evidence Based Birth having:
As well as trying to avoid or limit vaginal exams, it's often advised to steer clear or sex, tampons or really anything going up your vagina until you are well into labour.
- 3-4 vaginal exams lead to 2 times the odds of having chorio
- 5-6 vaginal exams lead to 2.6 times the odds of having chorio
- 7-8 vaginal exams lead to 3.8 times the odds of having chorio
- >8 vaginal exams lead to 5 times the odds of having chorio
As well as trying to avoid or limit vaginal exams, it's often advised to steer clear or sex, tampons or really anything going up your vagina until you are well into labour.
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