Water broke!

[mariamamaof5]

My water broke about an hour ago but I am not feeling any contractions yet. The water looks clear and I have a little bit if pink mucus. I have never had my water break before without having full on contractions and being close to the pushing stage. How long can I go with it broken, should I have any concerns?

[kittywitty]

The general guidelines are 24 hours with nothing inserted into the vagina. It's a good idea to monitor your temperature and baby's heartbeat & movement, too. You can get things started by going for a walk. I would take a nap if all seems fine. Good luck!

[mariamamaof5]

Ok it's been 51/2 hours since my water broke I have had 3 big gushes of water since soaked the pad and through my clothes the first time and then I switched to depends and soaked 2 of those. I haven't really had any contractions, I am getting nervous my family thinks I should go to the hospital for fear of cord prolapse or stress to the baby. This is not how I pictured things to go...any advice?

[kittywitty]

Originally Posted by mariamamaof5 

Ok it's been 51/2 hours since my water broke I have had 3 big gushes of water since soaked the pad and through my clothes the first time and then I switched to depends and soaked 2 of those. I haven't really had any contractions, I am getting nervous my family thinks I should go to the hospital for fear of cord prolapse or stress to the baby. This is not how I pictured things to go...any advice?

It's up to you-I'm not a medical professional! I would go with your instincts. 5 hours isn't much to wait. Have you been taking FHT? Tracking movement? Have you tried walking, RRL tea, anything else? What about hypnosis or a nap? Stress can stall things. It was 23 hours from water breakage to baby for my first, and it's much longer for many more women. Totally normal. Ignore your family if they are fear mongering, but listen to reason and your instincts.

[mariamamaof5]

I feel fine, been in constant motion, getting plenty of fluids. baby was moving alot the first couple of hours and he shifts and kicks every hour. I guess the fear of what other people are saying is getting to me and this is a totally different labor than any of my others. 

[zoebird]

Hope everything goes well for you, no matter what you decide! Have a safe birth!

[Devaskyla]

I'm guessing you've either had your baby already or at least decided whether you were staying at home or going to the hospital.

For the record, the 24 hour rule is in hospital, where they do frequent exams. I waited 88 hours for contractions to start after my water  broke with ds2. I monitored my temp for infection and I took Vitamin C a few times during that period. Just before I had ds2, there was a woman (with midwifery care) who waited 7 days for labour and I know of another one who waited 21 days. I'm not sure I'd wait that long, 3 days was hard enough with gushing regularly.

I know there's stats about how many labours will start within x hours of your water breaking. I think it's over 80% will start within 24 hours.

[mariamamaof5]

No baby yet! I stopped freaking out over every possible thing that could go wrong and just started listening to my body. It seems the leak has slowed down alot I have only had a couple little trickles in the past 6 hours, fluid is clear, I have been drinking lots of water, taking my temp and it seems a bit more of the plug has come out. Baby is moving, kicking and having the hiccups! My contractions are mild cramps about an hour apart. I've been walking and resting and just doing normal daily things. I get a little anxious now and then...I can't wait to meet my son!

Originally Posted by Devaskyla 

I'm guessing you've either had your baby already or at least decided whether you were staying at home or going to the hospital.

For the record, the 24 hour rule is in hospital, where they do frequent exams. I waited 88 hours for contractions to start after my water  broke with ds2. I monitored my temp for infection and I took Vitamin C a few times during that period. Just before I had ds2, there was a woman (with midwifery care) who waited 7 days for labour and I know of another one who waited 21 days. I'm not sure I'd wait that long, 3 days was hard enough with gushing regularly.

I know there's stats about how many labours will start within x hours of your water breaking. I think it's over 80% will start within 24 hours.

[MJB]

I had SROM before labor with my third-- strange since it was artificially ruptured at 9-10cm with my other two. After 24 hours, I was concerned about her health and took 1 oz. castor oil to induce contractions. If that hadn't worked I would have gone into the hospital after 36 hours. It worked right away, however, and my daughter was born ~30 hours after my water broke. Personally, I'd rather be safe then sorry and when pregnancy/labor/birth doesn't go the way it should, it's time to get expert assistance IMO. 

[Devaskyla]

He'll be here before you know it! :) Sounds like you're already progressing more than I was with ds2. I had no contractions until around that 88 hour mark. He was out 20 hours later. We have nurses here who will come out and do a basic mom/baby check-up & the PKU testing. I had him on a Friday, had a nurse out on Monday. She was a little surprised when I said how long my water was broken and said something about infection. When I said there's almost no risk of infection if you don't have anything stuck up there, she admitted that I was completely right and that was the end of the topic. Most infections are from interventions or your water broke because of an infection. If you don't have one already & you don't stick things up there, it's incredibly low. The fluid helps wash things out, too.

Gloria Lemay also suggests using towels instead of liners if you're leaking fluid and changing them regularly to reduce infection risk even further. I actually used towels with both ds2 & ds3 just because it was more comfortable. And when I had to go out, they were a lot more absorbent.

Hopefully your contractions will pick up soon. Probably after your kids are asleep.

Edit: Great blog post from Midwife Thinking if you want some evidence for your family http://midwifethinking.com/2010/09/10/pre-labour-rupture-of-membranes-impatience-and-risk/
 

Originally Posted by mariamamaof5 

No baby yet! I stopped freaking out over every possible thing that could go wrong and just started listening to my body. It seems the leak has slowed down alot I have only had a couple little trickles in the past 6 hours, fluid is clear, I have been drinking lots of water, taking my temp and it seems a bit more of the plug has come out. Baby is moving, kicking and having the hiccups! My contractions are mild cramps about an hour apart. I've been walking and resting and just doing normal daily things. I get a little anxious now and then...I can't wait to meet my son!

Edited by Devaskyla - 7/26/11 at 5:04pm

[mariamamaof5]

Thanks so much that makes me feel better. My contractions have stalled again at about 4pm. Baby is moving around and I just started losing more fluid and I was just thinking I should use towels but I wasn't sure I thought that the pads would be more sanitary so I will give it a try. I was able to get a 3 hour nap in so hoping for things to pick up.

Originally Posted by Devaskyla 

He'll be here before you know it! :) Sounds like you're already progressing more than I was with ds2. I had no contractions until around that 88 hour mark. He was out 20 hours later. We have nurses here who will come out and do a basic mom/baby check-up & the PKU testing. I had him on a Friday, had a nurse out on Monday. She was a little surprised when I said how long my water was broken and said something about infection. When I said there's almost no risk of infection if you don't have anything stuck up there, she admitted that I was completely right and that was the end of the topic. Most infections are from interventions or your water broke because of an infection. If you don't have one already & you don't stick things up there, it's incredibly low. The fluid helps wash things out, too.

Gloria Lemay also suggests using towels instead of liners if you're leaking fluid and changing them regularly to reduce infection risk even further. I actually used towels with both ds2 & ds3 just because it was more comfortable. And when I had to go out, they were a lot more absorbent.

Hopefully your contractions will pick up soon. Probably after your kids are asleep.

Edit: Great blog post from Midwife Thinking if you want some evidence for your family http://midwifethinking.com/2010/09/10/pre-labour-rupture-of-membranes-impatience-and-risk/
 

[Kidzaplenty]

Hoping for a good update soon. 

[mariamamaof5]

Well about 11:30 last night I started having contractions about 10 mins apart they lasted for an hour and a half and stalled again :( Went to bed woke up at 5 am this morning feeling "normal". I walked around the house and rocked my hips on the birth ball hoping to feel something. About 7am my 2 year old woke up crying and I took her out of her crib and put her in bed with me a few mins later contractions started 10 mins apart they felt pretty good and strong and I slept and snuggled with my daughter between contractions. My daughter woke up at about 8:45 as soon as I got up the contractions stopped. So I am sitting here waiting for something to happen once again it's very frustrating. My husband is convinced that the snuggling with my daughter triggered the contractions and now thinks I should snuggle with a stuffed animal and see if it works! I can try it but I feel like I should be moving around instead of laying in bed. Trying not to be stressed.
 

Originally Posted by Kidzaplenty 

Hoping for a good update soon. 

[kittywitty]

Are you still taking your temperature? At this point, personally, I would get checked out. Are there any midwives around you that you can trust? That's past my personal comfort zone, but it's up to you to decide. What about the cohoshes, RRL, or Castor oil? Good luck!

[sunshinemoma]

thinking of you...

[mariamamaof5]

Contractions have been coming every 5 min for the last 3 hours after nipple stimulation. Hoping this continues and a bouncing baby is in my arms sooner rather than later! 

[JessimaTheisen]

Hope everything is going beautifully for you! Birth blessings, mama! Bet you'll be holding that baby before the night is over.

[Devaskyla]

Thinking of you and hoping your baby is here by now or very soon.

[prescottchels]

Hope you're enjoying snuggle time with your new little. Sending love your way

[mariamamaof5]

I did it! I gave birth to my son today at 7:05pm at our home unassisted with just my husband and I!