If the water breaks, leaks ...?

[Mawood]

I read in a different thread about waiting it out and would be interested on your experiences. Our OB asked us to call him right away if the water breaks and our doula said to first call her and see what we do 'cause the Ob would put us on a time line. I trust our doula completely and have no problem not calling the OB right away (as I believe that could start a possible chain of interventions) but I can tell that my husband might be torn and would fear that it would be a risk for the baby so I wanted to gather more information.

What could happen when your water breaks and you don't go in labor right away? What are the risks? What would be the longest to wait? I tested GBS negative so I don't risk that infection. We are shooting for a natural birth, going in the hospital late and our doula knows and supports that very much. I read that in only 15% of the women the water breaks before labor so I guess the chances are pretty low that would happen.

Thank You for your insights!!!

[Gray's Mommy]

My water has broken with BOTH of my boys...
you can go up to 48-72 hours without risk of infection if you don't have any vaginal exams or introduce new bacteria into your vagina (probes, etc.).

it is safe to take a shower or bath, but i would hesitate with sex (but that is just me).

I tested positive with all three pregnancies & your OB will get you on a timeline.

This is what you are looking for in water breaking:
TACO--
t-note the time
a-amount (lots, little, gushes, etc.)
c-color (clear, white, pinkish = good...brown, green, particulate = not so great)
o-odor (sweet smelling, not foul or urine smelling)

WIth my first birth, I had SROM & had my baby 43 hours later (no infection, but was at hospital too early).
with my second, I had SROM & had the baby 25 hours later (no infection & only one dose of antib. 4 hours before the actual birth).

[sunshadow]

I am sure someone will have better information, but basically as long as you have no signs of infection you are fine. A lot of labors will start within 24 hours and most within 48 hours. Don't do any internal checks and makes sure you monitor yourself for fever. In that situation I am planning on calling my midwife to see what to do exactly. She had mentioned I could just come in and get a shot of antibiotics and go back home, but I can't remember the time line on when that needed to be done.

With my daughter the OB did put me on a timeline and it was only 12 hours. I didn't know any better unfortunately. I would think you could safely wait for 24 hours before letting your OB know. Hopefully soon after that labor will start if it hasn't already.

[smokeylo]

I agree with the above posts -- I'd monitor for signs of infection but not call the second my water broke.

[MammaB21]

DDC crashing. Like you said, chances are pretty low that your water will break as a first sign of labor. But if that does happen, I agree with your doula to take your time going in. Assuming that you are still comfortable at home, and the liquid was clear there is no rush. Once the water breaks there is risk for infection so don't do any internal checks and keep an eye on your temp. If you develop a fever, that would be another reason to go in. I think most hospitals 'allow' you to labor for 12 - 24 hours after your waters break, so yes you would be on a time line if you went in right away. If you wait you can be a little less than completely honest when letting them know when exactly your water broke giving you a larger window to labor.

[ratrodgrl]

when I was in the hospital for PPROM, the main thing they looked for was fever. They also did a non-stress test 3x a day to make sure baby still seemed fine. Nothing in the vagina, be very careful when wiping after a bm, and monitor the fluid on the menstrual pad to make sure it didn't smell foul and that it stayed clear. The crazy thing is, if baby is preterm, they'll let you go as long as possible to get baby to the 34-35 week range; I was in there for 2 weeks with ruptured membranes, but if baby is term you only get 24 hours! seems a bit off-balanced to me.

[rlmueller]

Personal

Hubby wanted to be checked too. Midwives said a true leak = baby in 24 hours per their protocal and practice no matter temperature, infection, etc.

I fessed up and had the paper test and it was negative. So I went back home. Midwife said mucous can be very very thin and feel like water. I was glad and a little sad at the same time--but all for the best.

[Mawood]

Thanks for your quick responses! Let's see what happens... and all the best for you guys too!!!!