@BurlapandLace good idea! I have a mattress pad on now but don't know how waterproof it is... It was required to use/purchase to validate the warranty on our memory foam mattress. But, I'd rather not put its waterproofing to the test like that!
They stick what are essentially puppy pee pads up underneath you in the hospital when they break water. I think I need to invest in a waterproof mattress pad and then plus also stick a few of those under the fitted sheet for good measure. My husband would have a duck if I leaked waters all over our expensive mattress.
@Austenista well, looks like I finally found a use for all the wee wee pads I have left over from when our dog was a puppy and had accidents and then magically just stopped.
Oh, yeah. I had a waterproof cover under my side of the bed with DD. Glad I did. Water broke (more accurately, gushed) at 1 am overnight. We had a mattress protector but it wouldn’t have saved the mattress.
@starla487 My mom just warned me of this. I guess similar things happened to her when she was pregnant with my brother, but she didn't plan ahead and they had to buy a new mattress.
Me 30 Him 30 Married August 2015 DS born 5/23/2018 TTC #2 July 2020
Guys... I'm pretty sure my mom's water broke in bed, they didn't have a mattress protector, and she's still sleeping on that mattress 30 years later...
My water broke slowly with my first. More of a leak than anything. With my 2nd the OB broke it once I a was well into labor. For some reason I have a fear with this one of a sudden dramatic gush in public. Maybe because a friend recently had her first and that's how it happened for her (the big gush, not the public part.)
My worst case scenario is a crowded group exercise class with everyone staring at me in the mirror.
re water breaking: My friend who was due one month after DD was born carried around a towel with her when she went places *just in case.* I chuckled, but I totally would do the same thing! My fear is my water is going to break as I'm standing in front of my class teaching!
Also +1 to wee wee pads! They work great then as an extra crib layer of protection with a toddler who has the stomach bug
Me: 28 | Husband: 39 Married March 2016 DD: born 7.22.16 DS EDD: 6.23.18
Ugh. I know. My toddler puked in the frozen foods section of Costco a couple weeks ago and people were pretty nonchalant as I cleaned her up and changed her clothes right there in the aisle. Once she was cleaned up I found an employee and alerted them to the mess. It got me wondering how things would go down of I were the one emitting a bodily fluid next to the frozen meatballs...
I had a friend who carried a jar of pickles in her purse once she hit the third trimester so that she could throw it to the floor and distract everyone if her water broke in a super public place. I'm not really sure the whole thought process behind it, but luckily for her she never needed them.
AFM, I literally lived on a beach towel from week 35 on last go round and it's a good thing I did bc I had the very dramatic gush while sitting on our couch one evening...it literally sounded like a water balloon popping and then woosh. So yeah we have a mattress protector on and I plan on living on some towels pretty soon
@momac1919 LMAO at the jar of pickles. Can I use that ploy during step aerobics??? Nothing to see here people, just a broken jar of pickles. Keep doing those leg extensions.
@Llamamama14 I mean don't all pregnant women work out with a jar of pickles? You never know when a craving might hit, and you wouldn't want to deprive baby of what baby wants
My friend had her water break at the self checkout of a grocery store, lol. She just finished and went home and hoped no one noticed. She was wearing pants so none of it "escaped", just made it look like she wet herself.
I am the weird one out on this one - but I definitely prefer when labor starts by my water breaking in a big, unmistakable gush - then I for sure know, one way or another, baby is coming. I don’t want all that prodromal labor, maybe it is maybe it isn’t ish.
I said that last time and I got my wish - I mean I was at home, not in the grocery store or anything. But I got my big distinguishable gush and knew it was on. Even if it happens in public, I would prefer a big gush and to for sure know ish was starting than to have stop and go labor for a couple of weeks.
@2589 yes. This baby is very active and constantly dragging his/her arms across my abdomen. Sometimes giving hard jabs. I also feel low head movements. I’m pretty sure I’m having a ninja baby! Lol
Re water breaking. Mine didn't. I had a fee Braxton hicks but once I was in labor there was definitely no question for me that it was that. It started at 2 am and kept on, midwife confirmed at my appointment I already had scheduled for that day that it was definitely labor and to come in to the birthing center when I felt like I couldn't do it at home any longer.
My water didn’t break either. It felt weird as heck when they broke it at the hospital though.
I did however get my bloody show at Target with DS. Which for me was like the start of a heavy period. Thankfully I was wearing a pants liner at the time.
@sabby2 - same - once contractions started, there was no denying it was the real thing. But I still liked my water breaking first - because then there was zero question.
This is time I have people attending the birth (both for support and to watch DS if he is awake) and they are driving from 2-3 hours away (without traffic). Therefore I want to give everyone a heads up as far in advance as possible. If it starts with contractions and waters intact, waiting until the contractions are “the real deal” contractions might not give them enough time since DS was born 6.5 hours after my first contraction last time. And if I have people come at the first sign of any contractions, I might be having them drive up for no reaso. Having waters break in an undeniable way would at least let me know I wasn’t calling in the troops for no reason. You know?
My labor lasted 22 hours or something like that last time. I'll be interested to see what happens with this one. I'm thinking we're going to need a couple different plans in case things happen really fast, moderately fast, or last awhile. Luckily, my parents don't live too far away and my mom has summers off so I think we will be alright.
So glad I now have a use for the 40+ puppy pads I still have. I had bought a box of them on Amazon to put in the carriers for when we moved and had to travel in the car with the cats for hours. They only sold them in packs of like 50. I was thinking I could use them as disposable changing pads at some point too. I never would've thought to put them in bed, great tip!!
@BurlapandLace if I don’t have a scheduled c section i pray I have a short labor. My pain tolerance in nonexistent and I’m a cry baby. Before my meds kick in during my period i lay on the couch crying while moaning “I wanna die!” I do want at least one more kid (right now i do) but I have a friend who wanted more kids but her first pregnancy was so horrible and her labor was also long & horrible she swore off having anymore kids. The thought of pregnancy literally gives her aniexty attacks. Unfortunately 2 years after her son was born her younger sister died of cancer so she took in her nephew so now she has 2 kids.
So glad I now have a use for the 40+ puppy pads I still have. I had bought a box of them on Amazon to put in the carriers for when we moved and had to travel in the car with the cats for hours. They only sold them in packs of like 50. I was thinking I could use them as disposable changing pads at some point too. I never would've thought to put them in bed, great tip!!
My water broke at work with DD. Luckily it was at the very end of the day. The woman I was training to fill-in for me was the only other person at work. She was leaving and I stood up to go to the restroom and realized I was wet. Told her I had a feeling I should probably give her the keys. She left, I went to the restroom, convinced I had snissed myself (minus the sneezing,) only to discover that I was mistaken. Called my OB and she told me to head to the hospital. Stopped by DH's bay at work and told him he may want to let his boss know he was leaving. 20 hours later, I had been stalled at 8cm for 3 hours (thanks, pitocin) with no pain meds. Good times.
Since I'm assuming I won't be as lucky as my mother - who's water broke while she was on the toilet - I really don't know what to do.
We have a mattress cover, but the 'water proof' {sweat proof really} is only in the middle. Sounds stupid, but has anyone used a garbage bag? I'm thinking under fitted sheet but over mattress cover. More so to cover the sides that aren't really 'water proof'
Also .... dumb question - what does your water look like when it's broken? I know there's a smell to it, but would it look like clear/pee or is it coloured?
@MissKittyDanger Actually, it should be clear and odorless, unless there's something going on, like infection. Urine typically has an ammonia smell to it, so that's one way to differentiate.
@kfren Ah okay. I've heard it has a smell - my dad described it as a 'musty' type smell. But basically it just looks like you peed without the urine scent?
I haven't tried them, but they're on my registry. Lolz if anyone buys them for me.
If I don't make it to my scheduled C, I'm kinda hoping for a dramatic water breaking incident. I'm envisioning walking down a busy sidewalk and SPLOOSH, then all the good-hearted NYers stopping foot traffic to help the poor prego lady get into a yellow cab, then yelling "New York Presbyterian, and STEP ON IT!" to the driver. Lol!! Such a movie moment.
Re: Questions?? w/o 3/26
Married August 2015
DS born 5/23/2018
TTC #2 July 2020
My worst case scenario is a crowded group exercise class with everyone staring at me in the mirror.
Also +1 to wee wee pads! They work great then as an extra crib layer of protection with a toddler who has the stomach bug
Married March 2016
DD: born 7.22.16
DS EDD: 6.23.18
AFM, I literally lived on a beach towel from week 35 on last go round and it's a good thing I did bc I had the very dramatic gush while sitting on our couch one evening...it literally sounded like a water balloon popping and then woosh. So yeah we have a mattress protector on and I plan on living on some towels pretty soon
I said that last time and I got my wish - I mean I was at home, not in the grocery store or anything. But I got my big distinguishable gush and knew it was on. Even if it happens in public, I would prefer a big gush and to for sure know ish was starting than to have stop and go labor for a couple of weeks.
I did however get my bloody show at Target with DS. Which for me was like the start of a heavy period. Thankfully I was wearing a pants liner at the time.
This is time I have people attending the birth (both for support and to watch DS if he is awake) and they are driving from 2-3 hours away (without traffic). Therefore I want to give everyone a heads up as far in advance as possible. If it starts with contractions and waters intact, waiting until the contractions are “the real deal” contractions might not give them enough time since DS was born 6.5 hours after my first contraction last time. And if I have people come at the first sign of any contractions, I might be having them drive up for no reaso. Having waters break in an undeniable way would at least let me know I wasn’t calling in the troops for no reason. You know?
My labor lasted 22 hours or something like that last time. I'll be interested to see what happens with this one. I'm thinking we're going to need a couple different plans in case things happen really fast, moderately fast, or last awhile. Luckily, my parents don't live too far away and my mom has summers off so I think we will be alright.
DS born 9/24/2020
TTC: 08/2017 EDD: 6/11/2018 FTM
We have a mattress cover, but the 'water proof' {sweat proof really} is only in the middle. Sounds stupid, but has anyone used a garbage bag? I'm thinking under fitted sheet but over mattress cover. More so to cover the sides that aren't really 'water proof'
Also .... dumb question - what does your water look like when it's broken? I know there's a smell to it, but would it look like clear/pee or is it coloured?
But basically it just looks like you peed without the urine scent?
I haven't tried them, but they're on my registry. Lolz if anyone buys them for me.
If I don't make it to my scheduled C, I'm kinda hoping for a dramatic water breaking incident. I'm envisioning walking down a busy sidewalk and SPLOOSH, then all the good-hearted NYers stopping foot traffic to help the poor prego lady get into a yellow cab, then yelling "New York Presbyterian, and STEP ON IT!" to the driver. Lol!! Such a movie moment.