As opposed to what might have been shown in movies, most women’s water breaks subtly; sometimes the leakage feels more like pee or vaginal discharge than actual physical fluid loss.
If you suspect your water has broken, it is wise to contact a healthcare provider immediately – they can assist in identifying whether the trickle of fluid may actually be baby fluid.
1. You Feel Damp
Pregnant women often fear their water breaking will be dramatic and embarrassing; they imagine it happening while on a public elevator or grocery store line, with an explosive burst of liquid spewing forth. In reality, however, most women’s waters break after labor has started due to contractions that rupture membranes.
When your water breaks, it typically involves a slow trickle of clear fluid that resembles urine or vaginal discharge. If this occurs, contact your practitioner immediately – they’ll need some information about its color (it should be clear or pale yellow), how much is coming out at once, when and how often this has occurred so they can determine whether this is indeed amniotic fluid leaking or simply urine leakage, both of which could occur later in pregnancy.
Change your underwear and use a pad or pantyliner, to avoid infection. Doing this as soon as the fluid stops is also ideal, since amniotic fluid tends to be clear-hued with an irresistibly sweet scent while urine can often have darker yellow tones that emit unpleasant odors.
2. You Have Leaks
Your water could break in either a sudden surge or trickle depending on its location in your uterus. Sometimes women don’t even feel their waters break but notice an unusually large vaginal discharge or pee in their underwear (it can become tropical toward the end of pregnancy!).
After your water breaks, the fluid that leaks out is known as amniotic membrane and should be clear and odorless – unlike urine and other vaginal discharge you might have had previously. While it may have some sweet or salty notes to it, amniotic membrane should never smell fishy like urine can do.
If you notice a slow, steady flow of fluid, call your doctor immediately. He or she can do an easy test in their office to identify whether the fluid is amniotic fluid or urine; ruptured membranes has breached, meaning your baby could now be vulnerable to bacteria; therefore it is imperative that we evaluate and admit your baby as quickly as possible into hospital in order to protect him/her from dangerous infections.
Rarely, an amniotic sac may never rupture and a baby will be born en caul. This occurs in approximately 10% of pregnancies and requires immediate hospital admission regardless of where your labor may be at the time.
3. You Have Contractions
Movies and television shows frequently depict women’s waters breaking in an explosive manner that makes it appear they peed themselves, but in actuality only about 15 percent of women’s membranes rupture prior to labor commencing and this usually indicates progress (i.e., you are near ready to deliver).
However, sometimes your bag of water will break in a gradual trickle that looks similar to urine leakage or vaginal discharge. It could appear yellow-greenish in hue or even have an offensive smell; should this occur, use a pad immediately and contact your physician or midwife immediately as they will run a quick test to assess whether your waters have indeed burst.
If your waters do break, your health care provider will likely want to closely monitor you. They may request you come to the hospital or birthing center so they can assess you further, and may induce labor if it hasn’t already started. Inducers typically won’t do this until baby’s head has settled well into pelvis and they are certain you are about to enter labor; otherwise infections may set in and lengthening labor increases the chance of prolapsed umbilical cord syndrome being born – potentially dangerous situations for mom and baby!
4. You Have Infections
Pregnant women often anticipate what their water breaking will feel, look, and smell like. While most pregnant women anticipate an explosion-like gush like in movies, in reality it may simply be a slow trickle of amniotic fluid which signals labor has begun or near its start.
Your water breaks when the amniotic sac that protects your baby bursts, releasing amniotic fluid into your vagina. However, this typically only happens during labor if you’re over 37 weeks pregnant; any earlier it could indicate preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and result in preterm birth.
To determine whether your waters have broken, it’s best to contact your doctor or midwife immediately and report leaking fluid. They will conduct tests to see if amniotic fluid proteins have entered the vaginal fluid, confirming your waters have indeed ruptured. They’ll also check to see if your cervix has softened due to breaking waters; and examine your cervix which usually softens after it breaks. If they can’t confirm it has, an amniotomy might help accelerate labor – if necessary, they could perform an amniotomy to speed things along further.
