Safe amount of time between water breaking and delivery?

hawkins79 · July 2010

How long can you wait between your water breaking (or being broken) and administering pitocin or having to have a C-section if you aren't progressing? All of the pitocin posts have got me curious. I will have an epi but I don't want pitocin. Hopefully my water will break and I will have contractions and progression and won't need it but I also don't want to put my baby in danger if there is a certain time limit.

wife1014 · July 2010

I believe there is a 24 hour window after your water breaks...If I am correct after that time period, the risk of infection rises.

SarahC720 · July 2010

Most providers want you to delivery within 24 hours, but I don't think there is a universal, set time frame for when things should happen and what happens when if they don't. As it probably varies depending on the provider, that is something you should discuss with your doctor or midwife

bluejayway · July 2010

wife1014:
I believe there is a 24 hour window after your water breaks...If I am correct after that time period, the risk of infection rises.

This, usually. However, my doula said there's no need to rush to the hospital the second your water breaks. If my water breaks, I'll call the L&D ward to let them know, and then I'll monitor my body temp and time contractions. I will still wait to go in until my contractions are close together.

I think the time to be concerned is if your water breaks and contractions don't start or intensify.

jellybelly03 · July 2010

I think that 24 hours is what most Obs do, but I think they will let you push it to 48 hours if you are aggressive about it. That said, if you're GBS+, I think they want that baby out in 18 or something like that.

KellyD01 · July 2010

It's a 48 hour window...but many docs won't let you go past 24 hours, which is why many books say 24. I was 18 hours after water breaking to delivery and my midwives never brought up any kind of timeline reference or plan to augment. My cousin (w/ a different doc) was 6 hours after water breaking and they were pressuring her for a c/s. She went all the way to 31 hours w/ no augmentation and pushed the baby out w/just an epidural, mostly because thankfully another provider from her practice came on and said there was no real rush.

triplea1819 · July 2010

if you are GBS positive, you should go in immediately!! You will need an IV for antibiotics.

ctgrl · July 2010

I had this happen with my first. My water broke and my contractions did not start until 12 hours later. I was told that I HAD to deliver the baby within 24 hours of my water breaking.

veebug22 · July 2010

Most providers seem to go by 24 hours, although I've read and heard that many birth centers and hospitals in other parts of the world will let you go for a few days, and just monitor your temperature and other signs that infection may be setting in. From everything I can tell though, most practitioners in the U.S. starting getting antsy after 12 hours and are much more likely to be concerned about anything that could possibly indicate the onset of infection.

Mrs_JR · July 2010

My water broke at home at 4pm. I took a shower and went to the hospital. The doc gave me 12 hours to start contractions on my own. That did not happen, so they started Pitocin at 4am. I didn't deliver until 11:17pm, so that was about 31 hours after my water broke. I was GBS positive and they kept a close eye on the baby. I was happy to avoid a c-section though. I did have an infection in my uterine lining after birth and they suspect it was caused by going so long between my water breaking and delivery, but there was no harm to baby.

GatorMrs_Esq · July 2010

My water broke at 1:30 in the afternoon. I wasn't having regular / hard contractions on my own, but did dilate from 4 to 5.5 cm anyway. When I had stalled out at 5.5 by 8:30ish pm, they started the Pit. When baby wasn't born by 1:30 am, they started some antibiotics. Aubrey was born an hour later.

metzy144 · July 2010

I think it's 24 hrs. but my cousin labored for 32 hrs. after her water broke.

redjetta22 · July 2010

I'm not familiar with the length of time until delivery, but I do know that if your water breaks, you should not waste time getting to the hospital due to the risk of umbilical cord prolapse. I believe the risk of cord prolapse is higher if you have smaller baby or are pregnant with multiples.