What causes the water to break?

[grumpybear]

When I was 39w4d, my water broke and I had to immediately go to the midwifery for hookup on penicillin due to GBS.
26hrs later, I wasn't into active labor, and needed a hospital transfer (state midwifery laws, I think we really only had 24 hours but I kinda pushed it a bit). I was hooked on Pitocin and it was pretty hellish.
I was wondering what causes water to break before active labor and is there any way to "prevent" it?

[dex_millie]

: I would like to know also. My water broke also broke and I had no signs of even having contractions. But I guess since I had no medical issue, there was no meconium in the water and had a midwife(did a homebirth and was my first child) she let me wait it out, and I didn't go into labor until 46 hours AFTER my water broke (went straight into active labor though). Sorry you had a hellish experience.

[wifeandmom]

I've often wondered this too, as in, are there any concrete reasons your membranes might rupture prior to the onset of labor.

My membranes ruptured at 38 weeks on the dot with my second pg. If I had to guess, and it'd be just that...a guess, I'd say it was a combination of having A LOT of fluid and having done WAY too much in terms of heavy lifting the evening it happened.

Of course, it might have happened regardless, and there's no way of knowing for sure.

I almost immediately began contracting every 3 minutes for 60-90 seconds, however my cervix did not respond whatsoever. Six hours later, my cervix hadn't done a single thing (no effacement, completely closed to the point they were shocked I was losing so much fluid so quickly, very firm). I was scheduled for an ERCS two days later, so we headed to the OR when they finally got things in order.

[laohaire]

Cervical checks can rupture membranes.

It happened to me. Thankfully my midwife didn't do it until 39.5 weeks. Next time I will decline all cervical checks.

[Bartock]

If what my mom said happened to her with my bro, babies can break it as well. She said that she woke up and could feel this scratching inside her, like he was scratching her, then pop here water broke, she thinks he scratched his way out maybe it true, maybe she's crazy

[Lilcrunchie]

my water broke with DS and I immediately started w/ contractions 5mins apart lasting a minute long. I was already 3cm dilated a few days before though. I was 39w1d pg with him when I went into labor.

This baby is posterior and I've read/heard it is beneficial to keep membranes in tact (easier to get them to rotate in labor I believe) so I've been looking into this a bit. I believe upping your vitamin C is supposed to help.

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

I'd like to know too...both my labors started spontaneously after my water broke big time. The second took a few hrs to get going - only 6 or so, I think. The first began right away.
No big deal for me - they were both over term so it was ok - and neither was on a day when I'd had an internal, so I wouldn't think that was it. But it's an awfully dramatic way to start labor Splash! I'd like to see what it's like to labor with membranes intact, too.

[Nan'sMom]

With dd1, contractions started around 12 hours after my water broke. With dd2 I may have had a slow leak for weeks...never figured out what it was but drank lots of water and followed the PROM protocol (vit c, no VEs etc.), then I felt a big whoosh (in fishy pool) during active labor.

I think that water breaking before contractions start is just a variation of normal. BTW, the strict birth center and hospital protocols for PROM were one of the many reasons I decided to homebirth.

[mwherbs]

Originally Posted by grumpybear

When I was 39w4d, my water broke and I had to immediately go to the midwifery for hookup on penicillin due to GBS.
26hrs later, I wasn't into active labor, and needed a hospital transfer (state midwifery laws, I think we really only had 24 hours but I kinda pushed it a bit). I was hooked on Pitocin and it was pretty hellish.
I was wondering what causes water to break before active labor and is there any way to "prevent" it?

In your case I would suspect your GBS status as the cause of PROM-- infection and inflammatory process can often the cause of PROM term or not and is often the cause of preterm birth as well-
but inflammatory process is not just exclusive to vaginal tissues, tooth and gum health as well as emotional stressors also have effects on prom and labor.
-- there are also nutritional elements- things like anti-oxidant status--
we recently had a mom who had cholestasis and this has effects on antioxidant status, absorbtion of fatty acids and is inflammatory- she has PROM and we took her in to the hospital more than 35-40 hrs after PROM- and she was induced- 9 hrs of pit before she had the baby-- I think that she would not have gone in to labor normally at the time the membranes ruptures- it was just her metabolic problem that was the cause or the PROM

[Peppamint]

mwherbs said it. I eat well during pregnancy, take my vites and have always had strong bags of water. A friend of mine had SROM at 37 weeks after going overdue with her first two babies... it took awhile for labor to start. She had been sick and under tremendous stress (probs with the ex-h, moving to a new house etc) and we joke that she coughed the baby out. We really think her health had a lot to do with the early SROM, possibly as well as the fact that her baby had an undiagnosed brain condition.

[NYCVeg]

My labor also began with SROM at 39.5 weeks, about 10 hours before I could get any contractions going. I did not have any cervical checks. I ate tons of vit C (besides my prenatal, I was eating pineapple, berries, and broccoli like mad) and I ate a very good, (vegetarian) protein-rich diet: lots of nuts, legumes, eggs, yogurt, whole grains, veggies, etc.

So...any thoughts? My baby was extremely active...but I don't know that she was capable of busting out.

[Hayes]

For me, my water breaking means baby is coming. I have had 5 babes. with each one, my water broke at the beginning of labor. However, with my last babe, now 3 weeks old, my water broke and I didn't go into labor. After 36 hours with few contx, I went to the hospital. I had walked, lunged, and done homeopathics, but no labor. I got a touch of Pit and an epidural. When Isaac was born, he had bruising around his face. we are pretty sure he had his head tipped back and he couldn't get into my pelvis. The epidural relaxed everything and he was born after about 3 hours of labor.

[Peppamint]

Originally Posted by NYCVeg

So...any thoughts? My baby was extremely active...but I don't know that she was capable of busting out.

Well- if we knew everything birth wouldn't have any mystery left.