my water just broke

[genesissparks]

hi my water just broke, i dont have regular contractions yet... ive had a couple in the last hour thats it, red blood is coming out with the fluid... im 37 and a half weeks... i dont want to rush to the hospital, do i have to? i want a natural vbac... i was posting on babycenter and all the ladies there told me i had to go to the hospital asap... what do you ladies think??/

[MsBlack]

Looks like you'll be having a baby today

Any updates?

[genesissparks]

well i started having irregular contractions last night after my water broke at about 5am i fell asleep until 6:30 then i got up and started getting stressed out by various family members... apparently me going into labor 17 days before my due date is a huge inconvience to them and they are totally justified to let me know that, my sister actually yelled at me on the phone because today was not a good day for her to take my daughter and i woke her up with my 8:30am phone call... needless to say i hung up on her and then cried for an hour... finnally found a place for my daughter to go, and now i have no contractions... maybe stress, i dont really know what to do... i havent called the hospital yet because frankly im scared of the hospital, i didnt want to go in until i absolutely had too

[RedOakMomma]

My labors always took a while to start after my water broke. How's the bleeding? Has that stopped? Things to keep track of are fetal movement (you want to make sure he/she is still happy in there) and your temperature (to make sure there's no infection).

I think there are several threads from the past month discussing water breaking before labor...might want to check those out.

For me, walking has done the trick both times. I walked MILES the days my water broke, and after 12 or so hours the contractions would start. Gravity and hip movement are your friends. Stay hydrated, keep eating, don't do any cervical checks, and try to push the craptastic reactions of your family from your mind. Focus on your baby...you're going to have a BABY soon!!

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by genesissparks

well i started having irregular contractions last night after my water broke at about 5am i fell asleep until 6:30 then i got up and started getting stressed out by various family members... apparently me going into labor 17 days before my due date is a huge inconvience to them and they are totally justified to let me know that, my sister actually yelled at me on the phone because today was not a good day for her to take my daughter and i woke her up with my 8:30am phone call... needless to say i hung up on her and then cried for an hour... finnally found a place for my daughter to go, and now i have no contractions... maybe stress, i dont really know what to do... i havent called the hospital yet because frankly im scared of the hospital, i didnt want to go in until i absolutely had too

Wow, what a crappy family response! I'm so sorry.

Try to relax, stay hydrated. Red Oak Momma gave great advice. Take a relaxing walk, keep an eye on your temperature and fetal movement. Your OB will not want to let you go past 24 hours of broken water before pushing for csection, so keep that in mind when you say what time your water broke (not telling you to lie, but, well, I did). Keep drinking lots of water. If your instincts start giving you alerts of something being wrong, listen to them. If not, just be calm, and think happy labor thoughts. You don't have to run to the ER or anything.

A bit of bright or pink mucousy blood is normal, that is "bloody show". If it becomes heavy, call your OB and tell him/her you're having bloody show. In any event, call your OB, not the hospital, when you are ready to call.

Good luck!

[genesissparks]

well its been 31 hours since my "water broke" and here i sit in a darn hospital bed with an iv in my hand... i use quotes around water broke because, my doc gave me a swab test to see if my water broke (which i thought was silly because there was no doubt in my mind at all that my water didnt break) and she said it was negative!!! what the heck??? ok, its not pee. it was warm and gushed out and clear and then there was blood and my mucus plug too and i leaked and leaked and leaked all night on the 11th i soaked towels and i have been soaking pad still now.. they gave me an ultra sound and the baby has a normal amount of fluid around him?? ok well then they said something about "water pockets" like maybe i broke one water pocket but he is still in another??? and then the doc left for the night... hmmm what the heck is going on? the baby is doing great on the monitors, im still not having any real contractions, just really crampy feeling and pain in my low back... what the heck is going on am i having a baby or what? has anyone ever heard of this happening?

[SeekingJoy]

If you aren't in labor, what about going home to wait?

Your water can break and reseal.

[RedOakMomma]

I'd go home. In a way, it's great that 1) you aren't on the water-broken clock (which can lead to c-section) and 2) that you have the reassurance that baby is doing great.

Go home, relax, refuel, and wait for the baby! Being in the hospital isn't going to do you any good, and could lead to interventions.

Good luck!

[happydoulamama]

That's exactly what happened to me with my first baby. I waited 24 hours to go in after my water broke (it was a gush - my pants were wet down to my knees). I would leak here and there, but no contractions started. When I got to the hospital, their test said it hadn't broken so they sent me home. I continued to feel leaky throughout the weekend, and 5 days later went into labor on my own. My baby was malpositioned (head asynclitic, and she was slightly posterior, and had a hand up), which is why I think my water broke without contractions starting. When I got to the hospital they asked me when I ruptured, because there was no bag in front of her head. I must have had a slow leak, and I did shower just before arriving at the hospital that first time, so I think that maybe their test just didn't turn out right. I don't know if I'll ever really know, but I am so glad that they sent me home and that test turned out negative. I knew I would be looking at a pit induction which I didn't want to have. I had no signs of infection from possibly being ruptured for 5 days and baby and I were both fine.
Best of luck.

[lunita1]

Originally Posted by RedOakMomma

I'd go home. In a way, it's great that 1) you aren't on the water-broken clock (which can lead to c-section) and 2) that you have the reassurance that baby is doing great.

Go home, relax, refuel, and wait for the baby! Being in the hospital isn't going to do you any good, and could lead to interventions.

Good luck!

Except... if you are sure you're water has broken even if the doctor doesn't think so, don't put/allow anything in your vagina. (I hope they haven't done any vaginal exams yet.) Go home to rest and wait. Baby will be here *so* soon!

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by RedOakMomma

I'd go home. In a way, it's great that 1) you aren't on the water-broken clock (which can lead to c-section) and 2) that you have the reassurance that baby is doing great.

Go home, relax, refuel, and wait for the baby! Being in the hospital isn't going to do you any good, and could lead to interventions.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by lunita1

Except... if you are sure you're water has broken even if the doctor doesn't think so, don't put/allow anything in your vagina. (I hope they haven't done any vaginal exams yet.) Go home to rest and wait. Baby will be here *so* soon!

This, absolutely.

You can still keep an eye on your temperature. And still get some rest and lots of fluids.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

If your water's not broken and you're not in labor I certainly see no reason to sit there with an IV.

[Hey Mama!]

I did have a pocket of water break with my middle dd that was not the sac she was in. I agree with the others, if you are not in labor then I would just go home, especially if you want a vbac.

[JamieCatheryn]

I had 2 layers of waters break too, the sac is 2 layered though usually they break together and don't really have fluid between them. Sounds like the bleeding was just some show from the dilating cervix and not a problem, then? Congrats and have a wonderful birth!