Pregnancy: What happens if your waters break before labour starts?
Hey you there, growing a little human inside your bump!
Hollywood have led many of us to believe that the first “sign” of labour is your waters breaking in the most dramatic manner!
The reality of it is that only around 1 in 20 preggos will experience their waters breaking before contractions have started (also known as PROM - Premature Rupture of Membranes)
If you are in that small group of peeps, what should you do?
Breathe! Remember this can be very normal!
Have a look at the amniotic fluid and note it’s colour and smell. Clear, straw or pink-ish colour are all normal!
Whilst we are here, we just also want to recognise that meconium stained liquor can also just be a variation of normal (but this is a story for another post, or you should go listen to our podcast episode with the amazing Kemi Johnson on this subject!)
You may take a note of the time of when you first noticed your waters being released
Do expect them to keep coming… and coming… and coming
Relax as it’s likely that you will be going into labour within the next 72 hrs
Seek medical advice if you are worried about your or your baby’s health
Here are things you should consider not doing:
No sex
No baths (until labour is well and truly on the way)
Avoid vaginal examinations
Try not to stress
If you are NOT worried about the consistency, colour or smell of your waters, your health or your baby’s health, you do not need to go into hospital to have further checks
Things to be aware of:
Informing your caregivers that your waters have broken will mean that if you do not go into labour within 24hrs they will be offering you an induction of labour
This is because there is some evidence to show that the risk of infection rises from 0.5% to 1%.
It is your right to accept or decline the offer of induction of labour and to decide whether a risk is high or not.
Ps: If your waters break before you are considered to be full term, you may want to consider to consult with your medical care giver.