Can someone explain...

[Sign Of The Fish Burger]

What happens when your "water breaks"

I always hear of it, but I'm not quite sure exactly waht it is. DH and I were talking about this the other day. Is it like peeing yourself? Like a big gush of water? or just a little trickle.

Is it messy to clean up?

Sorry this must sound so stupid :o

 

[christiankate]

I've never had kids, but most times it will be a big gush. Is it messy to clean up? I don't know, I suppose if your sitting on cloth seats or something it will feel like a flood.

 

[KJVisTruth]

My water never broke till I went into labor, every time, and the doctor had to break it manually... once, I was able to feel the "POP".. like a water balloon lol. That one was kinda between a gush and a trickle, I felt the water coming out. The other times, I didnt feel it so I would guess it was more a trickle than a gush. I would say it varies for every woman. I have heard of women giving birth with the water sac still intact.

I used to worry about breaking water in public and I was told that was just the movies. lol

 

[Primrose]

Very few women's water breaks in early labor. The majority will be broken by the practioner delivering. No big deal and you can not feel it. In fact if a woman in the hospital is laboring slowly breaking waters is often used as an attempt to speed up labor naturally. It feels nothing like peeing yourself, just a release of fluid unexpectedly.
Now with my second my water broke at home. It was a high break, near the top of the uterus, so fluid was only a couple of ounces. I was lucky that I was walking across the kitchen and not on carpet. No problem to wipe up with a towel. After the intial small gush it was just an unnoticable trickle and I wore a pad to the hospital.
It is low breaks, down near the cervix, that give you the big gushes that they dramatize on TV. So chances of a huge low break gush are minimal really.

 

[jazzbird]

It just depends. Oftentimes the bag doesn't break until you've been laboring for somtime. My midwife broke mine about 13 hours into active labor. Occasionally a baby is even delivered with the bag still intact. If it does break on its own, it may happen suddenly or it may just leak.

 

[HeKnowsMyName]

OK, with my first child, my water broke but it just really leaked so it was no problem. I put a small towel down there cause a pad wouldn't have held it and off we went.

With my second child, I heard a *pop* sound and it was like Niagra Falls. I was in bed so I got up and tried to make it to the bathroom before I made a mess but didn't quite make it. I got it all over the carpet in our room and ALL over the bathroom. And it kept on leaking even after I was at the hospital. I questioned why there was so much and the nurse said that it just keeps replenishing itself. She actually looked at me like I was stupid and said, you didn't do this with your first child? Well apparantly my first child was blocking the way or something cause DH said I had a gully washer AFTER she was born.

 

[PegasusOnFire]

with my daughter my water tore so it was just a trickle, then the doctor broke them the rest of the way and it was a gush, and i hate being wet so it wasn't comfy.

the water tore when they were putting in the epidural, I gave into meds after 36 hours of laboring.

 

[wanderingone]

It's different for different people. With my first I was induced and the doctor used what looked like a crochet hook to break the sac, and it gushed, but nothing on me, with my second it broke at home, I was laying down with a pillow between my knees (hubby's) taking a nap, it was kind of a gush, (a pretty big wet spot on the pillow) but then it slowed to a trickle.

 

[Krystina661]

My water never broke with my first so a nurse broke it for me when I was in labor to get things moving. I'll never forget how it felt though .... basically feels like a huge gush of water just coming out and it felt really good! I remember it being very warm Kind of a relief for me, and it was A LOT! But oh man.. right afterwards my contractions kicked in really good! I was in sooooo much pain!

 

[clycleader]

My experience was kind of funny. I woke up in the middle of the night because I had to use the bathroom. That was a regular thing in the last month. Like 5 times a night.
Anyway, I was walking into the bathroom and actually heard a POP sound! Not loud, just a lil pop. Then the water came. It was quite a bit and continued for about an hour. I went through lots of towels. They told me to wait until I came into the hospital a bit because sometimes labor dosen't actually start. But when they heard that my waters had broken, they said to come in. It was still another 18 hours until my son came. Only about 3 hours of "hard" labor though. Thank goodness for pain relievers. I didn't feel much after the first hour of contractions. What a blessing that was.

 

[~Mrs. A2J~]

With my first the nurse at the hospital broke it while I was in labor and I barely even noticed it. I was on a pad on the bed so after it broke they just took the soaked pad away. With my second it broke in the car just as we got to the birthing center. I felt some pressure then heard a pop and then GUSH. The baby was born 17 mins later.

 

[GolfingMom]

My midwife broke mine and it was a small trickle...
My SIL's broke while she was asleep and again - just a small trickle so it really depends.

 

[Addicted2~Jesus]

Although my lovely wife failed to mention this............................... She rained on me for a good while as I got er out of er jeans an panties etc

We had er standin cause we jes barely made it into the exam room an as I walked in behind er, the gal who had been helpin er out says "dad would you hhelp mom out of er stuff"? so there I am kneelin down takin er shoes off an she's jes rainin on me wit all that fluid.

It depends on alot of thins to, if you have alot of 'water' er not, some women have very lil an the baby never really does float, others have double the stinkin weight of the kid in fluid an it can gush, depends on your position to when it breaks, if your standin you'll git more of a gush I think an if your layin then alot of it pools an the like.

 

[Athene]

With my first two my waters were broken by the midwife - and it was just a gush of fluid. With Grace my waters broke as I was pushing to get her out, there was a loud pop and I felt a gush of water.

 

[~RENEE~]

I don't know Cecil was emergency c-section

 

[Heart4Him]

With my first my water broke at the hospital and it was a huge gush...lol

With my second it was a high leak for a while, and then they had me walk around the hospital and when I got back it broke completely and was a huge gush as well.

Both times I actually felt it inside like a "pop" and heard it with one of them, too. It doesn't hurt or anything.

I have always heard that it is rare for it to break on it's own, but mine did both times.

 

[HeatherJay]

With my first, the doctor broke my water with his little crochet hook thingy. I didn't really feel anything except wet...but I already had had my epidural for several hours, so maybe that's why. She still wasn't born for another couple of hours.

With my second, it broke on it's own after I'd been in labor for a few hours. Again, I'd already had my epidural, but this time, I heard and felt the little *pop* and then a big gush. Immediately after, my contractions got REALLY strong and within 30 minutes she was on her way out...I didn't even have to push her really. Epidural and all, I could feel the pressure of her, and the strong need to push...but no pain. It was very cool and totally the way an epidural birth should be...just enough to block the pain, but not enough to block the pressure. And that sensation of my water breaking on it's own was a cool thing to experience, I thought.

But I'm a weirdo.

 

[Linnis]

Some women leak fluid without knowing it. I've been checked twice for that. Hopefully I'll know what it's like for water to break soon.

 

[sunshiinedays]

Both times my water broke before I went into labour. I'd say it was an intermittent trickle, and it took about 30-45 minutes for the majority to leak out. I sat on the can and waited I used pads and folded up towels on the long drive to the hospital just in case.

 

[LynnMcG]

Mine gushed with my first. My second was premature and taken by emergency c-section.

But here's something those birthing books never tell you - you keep leaking! Your body continues to make "water" and you keep raining (to use A2Js phrase) until the baby is born.

Good to know so you can have some crummy towels to put down on the car seat for your ride to the hospital/birthing center.