whats the obsession with 24 hrs after water breaking

[MommytoTwo]

People's water breaks and they fly off to the hospital without a contraction in sight. Am I the only one that would wait till labor started? As long as they keep their paws out of you youre unlikely to get an infection...

[thepeach80]

Nope. I'm staying home w/ or w/out water. After it breaks there's nothing getting there either. It's just another thing DRs do to keep from getting sued...

[Evergreen]

My midwife told me that if it happened (it didn't obviously-see signature!) and there were no contractions the fluid would just begin to replace itself.

I know that most hospitals say if contrax havent begun within 17 hours, labor must be induced to avoid 'infection'

[pamamidwife]

you're safer at home, with bacteria that your body is not only familiar with but acclimated to, than in the hospital. especially because at home nobody's wanting to put their fingers up inside you to "check for progress" (never mind if the mom's not making any noise or even having noticeable contractions!) every two hours.

[suebearsmom]

I worked for an OB/GYN/CNM practice in the 80s and they were known for having the lowest Csection rate in the state.If a womans water broke and she wasnt having any signs of labor,she would check in with a nurse or CNM and be asked about the color of the fluid,if there was any evidence of a cord and that the baby was moving & reactive & then she was she was told to stay home - nothing per vagina,no baths,and to take her temperature in the morning and then again at night.Patients would go for 4-5 days sometimes before contrax would begin.They had a low rate of complications/infection also so this seems like a good thing,right? I believe so much of what is done in modern hospitals is both to avoid malpractice suits and to keep the patients flowing in a timely manner and often within the guidelines that insurance companies dictate because simple - they want to get paid. If I were going to have a hospital birth for some reason or even a birthcenter birth,I would stay at home as long as possible. Just my 2 cents.Catherine

[Mamid]

don't forget the scary nasty oh my god it can't be threat of GBS!

I swear... 100.. hell... 30 years ago doctors were far more willing to let women "go naturally" than they are now.

Stupid arses.

[hipmamawnc]

Oh, how I wish it had been my second birth that started with the water breaking and not my first. I would have been more confident, I would have argued with my MW when she insisted that we go to the hospital, I would have known better.
My story: I was 8 days past my edd, my water broke at 11:40 pm. I started to have contractions right away. We called the MW who was about 45 minutes away, we decided to try to sleep/wait til morning for her to come. I didn't sleep at all, but was fine with just me and DH. My MW came to check me in the morning and then left again to do prenatals for other ladies. She came and left several times during the day, all my care and support was coming from DH, my mom, and cousin-not a good sign. By midnight I had been in labor with ruptured membranes for 24 hours. I was handling labor very well if I do say so myself. ( everyone else who was there agrees) I was 7 centimeters and progressing slowly, the baby was posterior so that was not unusual. I gave into her insistance to transfer. ( i think I had a little too much trust in her-all MW's ) I went to the hospital, where I labored for another 12 hours before my lovely Dd was born. I could have stayed home, she would have been just fine at home.
It has been more that six years and I am still upset with the MW, I wish I had the MW who attended my other births then. Not only did my first MW leave me several times while I labored and insist on an unnessesary transfer, she left the hospital before my babe was born! She figured I was gonna end up with a c/s, so why stick around? :

(I learned only later, too late, that she had only recently started to attend home births, she was still in hospital mode and it didn't translate to home care.)

[AmyB]

I confess, my water broke nearly 3 days before I went to the hospital and I lied about it in order to keep them from bugging me. (It went pop like a balloon and gushed all over, but I told them that all I noticed was a little fluid leaking).

However, I had the example of my sister who got bullied into an induction after her water broke. I was dismayed by her experience and determined not to get induced so I thought it would be better to just keep my mouth shut.

I believe my decision to lie ultimately saved me from an unncessary c-section, so no regrets.

--AmyB

[MommytoTwo]

AmyB- if it took you 3 days, then no doubt you were spared a c/s by waiting. I have already decided if my water breaks I'll check my temperature, no baths, sex or hands up there, and I am waiting till I am in labor.

[ketilave]

when my waters broke we stayed home until they became thick and green. I spiked a fever and we decided to go in...my dr was pretty good - no checks etc and let me be but I never had any ctx and ds deceled every time I stood up and poured fluids out of me. Turns out he was caught in the cord, way up high - yep had a c/s at 3 am.

Bottomline for me - go with your gut. Mommystincts have never let me down with my kids.

[kimberlylibby]

I went in 4 hours after mine broke... I just had a gut feeling she was not perfectly head down..... turned out she was transverse.... so c/s it was. But it wasn't a surprise for me to have a c/s, I already had one scheduled for the next week.

Kimberly

[Faith]

Originally Posted by MommytoTwo

People's water breaks and they fly off to the hospital without a contraction in sight. Am I the only one that would wait till labor started? As long as they keep their paws out of you youre unlikely to get an infection...

They might just not know better.

With DS, I got pregnant unexpectedly. I was only 20 and wanted to do everything exactly right. I read and read all the WRONG books and did whatever my doctor said.

When my water broke -a huge gush one night- I called and they said to come in, so of course I did. I was induced, which led to an epidural, which led to vaccum extraction, etc, etc, etc.... But that experience led me to a homebirth for DD and this baby!

[Chi-Chi Mama]

Originally Posted by Faith

They might just not know better.

I thought I knew better - after all, I was smart enough to find a midwife when noone I knew ever heard of a midwife. (or that midwives were still around, to be more accurate)

My water broke on a friday night, I went in to see the midwife on Sat. morning.. nothing but very light rushes (wish I had read 'spiritual midwifery' 3yrs ago) She had me drink castor oil, walk, go home, etc. Labored through sat. night and by sunday early morning she was telling me we needed to transfer. Started on the way to the hospital at 7am, I was 5cm. When they checked me at the hospital at 7:30am, I was already at 7cm. Ana was born at noon. Not sure at what point my midwife left, apparently because she was 'tired' and I'm sure she was, but there I was, a first-time mother scared sh*tless of the hospital and my husband had even less of a clue of what was going on.

Looking back, I wish I knew better. I just figured that you can't take a dr's word for what it is, but a midwife is a different story - you have to trust a midwife.

(btw, I think the midwife I had wasn't bad, I just wish I took more control over things and didn't think everything she said was unquestionable) sorry so long, I can't sleep tonight for some reason, feeling a bit ramly

[mehndi mama]

I've had two spontaneous ruptures before labor set in - both times I *knew* it was important not to get checked for dilation, take a bath, have sex...all those fun things
I went 36 hours to birth with the first rupture, and 35 with the second. I only checked myself after I *knew* birth was gonna be happening soon.

[Katana]

I started leaking, just a little bit, early on a Sunday morning with dd.

The fluid was clear, I wasn't having contractions, I felt okay about it, my midwife was very supportive with my desire to stay put.

It was 10 pm Monday night when I gushed, and the contractions came super fast. Due to the fact that I was right at 36 weeks, I decided to go to the hospital, just in case something wasn't right.

I lied, and said that my water had broken ten minutes before I got to the hospital. And I KNOW that is the only reason I was not immediately carted in for a C-section. As it was, they were horrified that I didn't want a section and chirped for hours about GBS, even though I kept testing negative for it.

If something like this ever happens again, and I feel the same way I did, I'll have the baby at home or in the car.

I just hate how some hospitals view women's bodies as riddled with germs and disease.