how long before "real" labor when waters are trickling extremely slowly?

[velveeta]

Well, I hope my title said it. I have had amniotic fluid trickling (not even enough to wet a pad). Maybe a tsp - 3tsp over two days. I tested it with the nitrazine strips, and each time I go to the toilet, the paper turns blue faster. I just wipe around my thighs and vaginal area to moisten the paper.

I had pretty strong contractions last night, but they never became regular. The MW is going to come over this morning to check me and do that "ferning" test.

I used my hypnosis, and so I know I had some very good contractions, I was just very relaxed.

Have you ever had a slow, slow leak and taken a long time until actual labor?

My water always breaks prior to labor, but I have had my babies on the EDD (1) and 4 days before (2). Today, I believe I am 37weeks and 5 days. If I am wrong about my dates, I am actually a little bit further along, like 38 and a half weeks or so.

What do you think? When is this baby coming??

[lolaroo]

I had that with my last daughter. My waters had a slow leak for 2 days. I walked and walked for days and I was still only having mild contractions. My mom suggested an enema, I had my daughter about 8 hours later

[RedOakMomma]

WALK!

Both of my labors started with a little more than a trickle, but I stalled for almost 20 hours and 12 hours after that. I spent most of the time walking...outside, up hills, on the treadmill...anything to get gravity and my body going.

Good to hear you have a MW...I had an OB (and a cool one at that), but I still didn't feel comfortable telling him the real time my waters had broken.

Best of luck! Hopefully your MW will have some tricks to get contractions started.

[sanguine_speed]

Gosh, with anything, it totally depends! Also, it is very possible for a small leak to 'reclose' itself, so it may not be time yet. Most women will go into labour within 24 hours of a membrane rupture. In my case, my water broke at 33 weeks and I did not go into labour until a week later. In a full-term situation, I would have been induced before that.

[andtay23]

This happened to me with DD. Of course as soon as I called the hospital they wanted me to go in. The dr. didn't believe me at first that my water had broken...since I wasn't really leaking anymore, so they actually did a swab test and checked it under a microscope.

As soon as they confirmed it was amniotic fluid, they wanted to induce me. ::sigh:: DD came several hours later after much pitocin, stadol, and an epidural. The nurse actually broke my water in the process - which totally confused me at the time because I thought it had already broken....Turns out the sac had just ruptured around DD's body, but since her head was engaged the front part of the sac was separated and still intact.

My experience was pretty far from how I had intended to labor. If I had known that things would have turned in that direction I wouldn't have called the hospital at all. DD probably would have made her appearance days or even a week or so later! She was born exactly 2wks before her due date.

[lunarlady]

I had a slow leak w/DD that started on Wednesday afternoon and I went into labor on Friday night. So I guess it was about 2 and a quarter days. My MW was getting ready to try to boost things along that weekend if she hadn't come out on her own, but I was full term so very ready to get on with the birthing.

[trustedinstincts]

Originally Posted by andtay23

This happened to me with DD. Of course as soon as I called the hospital they wanted me to go in. The dr. didn't believe me at first that my water had broken...since I wasn't really leaking anymore, so they actually did a swab test and checked it under a microscope.

As soon as they confirmed it was amniotic fluid, they wanted to induce me. ::sigh:: DD came several hours later after much pitocin, stadol, and an epidural. The nurse actually broke my water in the process - which totally confused me at the time because I thought it had already broken....Turns out the sac had just ruptured around DD's body, but since her head was engaged the front part of the sac was separated and still intact.

My experience was pretty far from how I had intended to labor. If I had known that things would have turned in that direction I wouldn't have called the hospital at all. DD probably would have made her appearance days or even a week or so later! She was born exactly 2wks before her due date.

The same kind of thing happened with my first son. Only after 24 hours of no pain meds and an ever increasing pit drip I only got to 3-4 cm. I decided that I had to have a section because I was told all about the risk of infection after your water breaks If only I'd known then what I know now