Water breaking and contractions

khammond3 · January 2014

STM lets hear from you! I have noooo idea what to expect. When does your water break? When it does break does that mean baby is coming within a certain time period? How far apart should contractions be to be considered "in labor"? FTM and so scary to think it could be 6-9 weeks away! I feel kind of like a bad mommy because I feel like I don't know anything

kseccomb17 · January 2014

Well everyone's different. For me, I went into labor at 5 pm with a placental abruption, not because of timed contractions. My water broke on it's own in the tub when I was at a 6, and then I pushed for maybe 15 minutes. I had DD at exactly 10 pm. I was only in labor for 5 hours. No one will have the same story as me, and I won't labor like I did last time. Don't feel bad because many of us don't know what to expect.. even if it's not our first time.

ETA- I do want to mention that I didn't go from a 6 to pushing in 15 minutes. After my water broke I did progress very quickly. It took about 2 hours to get from a 6 to having DD- after only 15 minutes of pushing.

rlmanning · January 2014

My water broke when I was in labor and at the hospital already. It broke on its own. I dont think there is a certain time frame for baby to come from that point. Some people it will go fast and others will still take hours.. My Dr. always told, if my water breaks at home, come straight to L&D. They will usually keep you because they dont want you to contract an infection. He also said if water doesnt break but I am feeling contractions I should follow the 511 rule. Contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting for 1 minute long and they have been this for 1 hour.

Dont feel like a bad mom. Just be sure to write all your questions down, and bring them with you to your appointments and ask your dr. That is what I did with my last pregnancy and I still do it with this one.

MrsEmilyS · January 2014

It's different for everyone. My water didn't break until the broke it at the hospital. I woke up with cramps that proceeded to get worse over the next 12 hours. About 12 hours after I woke up with cramps we headed to the hospital and I was just starting to get uncomfy. It got real really fast as the contractions intensified.

fireflygirl12 · January 2014

I had contractions at 5-6 minutes apart (not painful, just tightening) for almost 24 hours before I had DS1. I was already at a 6 when I checked into the hospital (contractions at 4 min) and DS was born about 2.5 hours later. My water didn't break until my 2nd push, and when it did, I totally soaked the nurse.

NicoleAnne416 · January 2014

They broke mine at the hospital. My first was back labor. I was in a lot of pain but hardly dilating so she just broke it to get it going, my second I was induced and he broke my water before doing anything else. It just gets things going, it doesn't tell you how long before baby will be born.

Usually contractions mins apart or less it's time to head to the hospital.

AcaAwkward · January 2014

It's really going to be different for everyone -- some women have their water break before labor starts and for others it's during labor (or never at all, in rare events). It could be 2 hours or 24+ hours from the time your water breaks until you deliver. There is really no way to predict how it will go for you.

I'm not meaning to be snarky at all, but have you read any books on labor or do you plan to take a class? Educating yourself some more might make you feel a lot more prepared!

khammond3 · January 2014

Thank you everyone! I know it's different for everyone, I just like to hear other people's experiences.

khammond3 · January 2014

AcaAwkward said:
It's really going to be different for everyone -- some women have their water break before labor starts and for others it's during labor (or never at all, in rare events). It could be 2 hours or 24+ hours from the time your water breaks until you deliver. There is really no way to predict how it will go for you.

I'm not meaning to be snarky at all, but have you read any books on labor or do you plan to take a class? Educating yourself some more might make you feel a lot more prepared!

Yes my
Husband has been gone for 9 weeks so I am waiting until he comes home
So he can come with and be a part of it!!! I have read what to expect when your expecting but nothing else

Nijay714 · January 2014

I feel like my first labor was so "textbook".. I woke up at 7am went to the restroom and when I wiped I saw my mucus plug, but had no contractions. Just so happened that I had a doctor's appointment that day around 10, I told my doc I lost my plug and he checked me out, I was 3 cm dilated so he told me to go to the hospital.. They broke my water there, had my son at 7:19.. I'm nervous about this one, don't feel bad even someone that's had 10 kids won't know for sure what will happen

MamaFantastic · January 2014

i woke with my first contractions at 5am saturday morning.

labored through saturday and into sunday.

went to the hospital 11am sunday

by sunday evening, i was 9cm with an intact amniotic sac, so the midwife broke it.

baby was born at 2am monday morning after 3:45 hours of pushing.

my experience was pretty common in that my water didn't break, but less common that it took that long for baby to arrive (both with dilation and pushing time frames)

ksulli · January 2014

I had 10 hours of varying contractions- more discomfort than pain, maybe 8-15 min apart the whole time. Then they got more painful & closer together over another 7 hours until we went to the hospital at less than 5 min apart. My OB broke my water about 6 hours after we got to the hospital. She was born about 9 hours later.

the only thing about time from water breaking to birth is that it should be less than 24 hours, but that's a guideline and if you want a little more time to labor you should be able to get it.

joyfullyfound · January 2014

It's most often nothing like you see on TV - i.e. your water breaks in some unfortunate location, and then you have to drop everything to rush to the hospital in a panic.

With DD, I had a whole day of light contractions, followed by full blown labor starting in the middle of that night, and then my water broke when I was 9 cm dilated and (thankfully) in the shower, just noticing that I was beginning to push. Other women will have their water break but labor doesn't ever start, so they have to be induced since there's a risk of infection when the bag of waters is broken for too long. Still other women have to have theirs broken when it's time to start pushing, because it's preventing the baby from descending. I've even seen pictures of babies born still inside of it, so it never did break!

I was told to follow the 511 rule as well, but I was already 7 cm dilated by the time my contractions were 5 minutes apart! That was because of how DD's head was positioned, not fully engaged within my pelvis, and it was preventing my labor from speeding up. Still, I knew I was in serious, later stage labor, without my contractions getting close enough together... you really do just know.

momofmanyinthemitten · January 2014

My water broke on Thursday evening and I had DD Sat afternoon with a c/s. My water broke at 4AM on a Sunday and had DS at 6:30PM that night. My OB says to go to the hospital when contrax are 2 min apart. However, when mine were 2 min apart, I was only 1.5-2cm, so they sent me back home (before my water broke).

RedDawnsRevenge · January 2014

There was a post on this a few days ago. Your water could break days before your babies arrives, you could get lucky and have her born in the cul (in the sac). As far as being in labour: contractions are less about how far apart they are, but wether or not they are working to bring the baby down. Working means that the contractions are causing dilation and thinning of the cervix.

Nijay714 · January 2014

@joyfullyfound I was so fascinated by what you said that I had to google.. I had never even heard of babies born still inside the sac.. So weird looking and kinda creepy but COOL! It's called a "veiled birth"

thomas930 · January 2014

Water broke at 9cm with my first two...I expect that it wont break until the end with this one too.

JamiesWife2010 · January 2014

I woke up with contractions(felt like period cramps) at 6am. I labored at home, alone, until I was sure it was real. DH came home from work & we went my OB office at 2pm. I was 4 centimeters when the dr checked me.

My water didn't break unril the dr broke it at the hospital. I have no clue how many centimeters I was at that time.

I had DS at 7:59pm.

amhah09 · January 2014

Literally every situation is different.

With DS I was 1 cm dilated at my 40 week appointment and the next night started having contractions for a few hours before my water broke. Ctx then came quicker and more intense but I wasn't much more dilated when I finally got to the hospital.

With DD I was induced with pitocin and at 5 cm my water broke.

A friend of mine (FTM) recently was 5 cm dilated at her 36 week appointment. Her water broke a couple days after 39 weeks but still after like 12 hours had to be admitted with pitocin because contractions never started.

MapleLeafMama · January 2014

Every labour and woman is different. The doctor broke mine at my induction when he put me in the drip. From what I understand, once your water does break delivery within 24 hours is desired.

cwm11985 · January 2014

My water broke at 10pm one night while I was laying in bed. Contractions never started; I was put on Pitocin the next morning when we went to the hospital.

fourthnlast · January 2014

You're not a bad mom, every baby, every birth is totally different! I'll use the youngest one as an example, because it's the freshest in my mind. I went in for my 36 week appointment on Friday, I was having some contractions and I was 90% effaced and about 4cm dilated. He said because I was still pre-term, he couldn't admit me and do the c-section, but once the contractions got to 10 minutes apart to head to L&D and also let me know that he would be very surprised if I lasted another 48 hours. The next morning I lost the "plug" and by that afternoon, the contractions were coming every 15 minutes or so. By the time I loaded up the kids and headed to my mom's (DH was at work), I knew it was getting close. By the time my Mom and DH and I got to the hospital about an hour later, my water broke as I was getting checked in and I was 8cm. They got the OR prepped right away and he was born shortly after that.

cd92007 · January 2014

fireflygirl12 said:

I had contractions at 5-6 minutes apart (not painful, just tightening) for almost 24 hours before I had DS1. I was already at a 6 when I checked into the hospital (contractions at 4 min) and DS was born about 2.5 hours later. My water didn't break until my 2nd push, and when it did, I totally soaked the nurse.

This sounds like my ideal birth! Minus the soaking the nurse part

laurel22 · January 2014

Everyone is so different but all of the stories are interesting! My water broke on its own at 4:00am, 2 weeks before my EDD. I was having no contractions, not even slightly. I called my doc at 7 and went in for a an appt at 8. He confirmed that my water broke and said the baby needed to arrive within 24 hrs but that my body was not ready to go into labor. I checked into L&D and was given cervadil to help thin my cervix at noon, which triggered hard and fast labor (a side effect of the drug that happens in 3% of people). DS was born at 6:00pm!

LEIGHLOVE09 · January 2014

For me I had what I call a slow leak. My water didn't full on break but was leaking. For a couple hours I thought maybe I was just peeing my pants and then it clicked that it could be my water. So we went to hospital and they checked and sure enough it was fluid so they admitted me. I had the option of waiting for labor to start on its own or they could give me pitocin. I took the pitocin. I got an epi around 3cm and when they were checking me at some point my full on water broke. My labor was relatively quick. From the time I was admitted to the time I had her was 8 hours. I pushed for 20 min. I hope it goes just as smoothly this time

carmenberniece · January 2014

There really is no text book answer. Every labor is different. For me the thing that helped me feel more at ease before having my son was reading a TON of labor stories. I had a 30+ hour, all natural labor. My son was posterior so from the moment my contractions started they were strong, 1-2 mins long and 5 minutes apart. Even my doula thought I was progressing more than I was. She told me it was time to go to the birth center and I ended up only being 3 centimeters dilated. We went home and labored for 8 more hours before going back to the birth center and even then I was only a 5. I never felt my water break. The midwife told me during a check that I had a slow leak but I didn't even notice because I spent most of the time in the tub. Our birth class instructor told us that you want your contractions to be 1-2 mins, 3 mins apart for at least an hour before going to the hospital.......but then again my contractions were like that for at least 8 hours before my son finally arrived!

Linnea503 · January 2014

My water broke at 10am while I was sitting at my dining room table. At the time, I thought it was pee and/or discharge because I had an Always pad on that absorbed most of it. I cleaned up and met a friend for lunch,shipped all my Xmas packages, walked around a mall, and met with a lawyer about wills.

I finally decided I was just still too wet and called the nurses at 4pm and they told me to get my ass to the hospital.

Around 9pm they started Pitocin because my contractions were not noticeable to me (although they were happening on the monitor). Got the epi around 3am. DS was born before 6am.

JoelleOK · January 2014

I started having what I thought were contractions on Thursday morning. Sadly it was a type of false labor only FTM can get. I was checked for progress by my midwife's nurse at 10 pm. No change in my cervix from my regular appointment on Wednesday. I was given a muscle relaxant shot so I could sleep and told to come back the next morning. About 3 or 4 am I. Woke up from feeling the contractions. Around 7 am they were a different sort of contraction - not something you can have and talk at the same time. Went back to the midwife. They had me walk around outside until 10 am. Then I labored inside. I have no idea how dialated I was when they asked if I wanted the waters broken. I agreed. It made the labor progress more quickly and the intensity went up a notch. I got in the shower right after that. Sweet relief! Then I think I labored "doggie" style for a bit. Then I got the tub. It was amazing for me. I could feel the muscles moving but I could sort of doze and rest. I got out of the tub when it was time to push. 30 minutes later I had my son on my chest.

ricekez · January 2014

My midwife broke mine between pushes, so you could say mine never broke. Who knows when it would have broken, if at all, had she not broken it. So yes, it's totally possible for your water to not break until very late in the process.

grimmeaa · January 2014

My water broke in my kitchen at 37 weeks and 5 hours later baby was out! First pregnancy doesn't always mean you'll have a long labor!

AliciaBeth · January 2014

My water broke at home while I was folding laundry, haha. It was around 7PM. No real contractions has started yet. I was so excited that we went to the hospital very quickly after (without calling ahead)... and I probably made a mistake by doing that. My labor was very long, and my son was born at almost 1PM the next day.

JJC925 · January 2014

Mine was a tiny leak type situation. I woke up at 1:30am to go to the bathroom and stood up and a little leaked. I went to the hospital, no contractions although I had been having them off and on for weeks. They started pit at 7am, I went from a 3-10 by 9, started pushing at 9:30 and he was born at 12:57.

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