waters broke last night but not in pain and no contractions - is this normal?

[bumblebeth]

my friend has asked for advice as her waters broke Thurs night and she's still not in pain or starting contractions. it's her first child and doesn;t know what to do. the hospital have sent her home, but with nothing to reassure her. can anyone help?

[XanaduMama]

Many women go several hours, days or even weeks after ROM before labor sets in. She needs to rest, stay hydrated, take big doses of vitamin C and keep absolutely *everything* out of her vagina (no cervical checks!). In many cases, this is a sign of even slight malpositioning (ROA instead of LOA, for example), so working on spinning babies techniques or seeing a chiropractor or acupuncturist for help with fetal positioning could help get things going.

This happened to me with my first and I ended up on pitocin. I didn't know any better then, but now I know that one should just wait and work to get baby in the right spot to put that pressure on the cervix. Best of luck to your friend--hope she's holding her baby by now!

[bumblebeth]

Thanks honey - I passed the message on and Alexander James was born on Sunday 15th Jan - a healthy 8lb 4oz. They called her in and helped her on her way in the end and it was a very tough birth, however both Mom and baby are doing well. :-)