How would you handle this?

[adoremybabe]

Yesterday at around 5 PM I was washing dishes and it felt like my water broke. I was wearing a pantyliner and just enough came out to soak it and then make a amall spot on my underwear. I am 37 weeks along and on Friday I was 1-2 cen. dialated and 50% effaced. Anyway, I thought, holy crap and went to check things out. The "fluid" was clear and odorless. Not like urine. It didn't feel like I lost control of my bladder either.

I am just not sure if I should call my doctor and ask him if he wants to see me. I am a hospital birther by the way. With my last birth my water broke and didn't start to feel contraction until about 3 hours afterward, I never saw my mucus plug and never had any bloodyshow until well into my labor.

Last night I didn't start having any contractions and there was no more leakage after the intial scare. I just slept like crap, but who doesn't at this stage of the game. My concern is the risk of infection if my water bag did in fact rupture. Any advice? This might be a good time to get packed!

[wwisdomskr]

Good morning. I'm not in your ddc, but saw your post in the "new posts." Congrats on being full term! That's always been a hurdle for me...lol.

The amniotic sac can and does reseal and fluid regenerates. Your sweet baby may be comfortable for another few weeks! The last thing you want to do, IMHO, is go to the hospital too soon. I personally think it's safe to stay home until things pick up as long as you practice meticulous hygiene. Change and smell your pads frequently, be alert for odor. Take your temp, watch for low-grade fever. Wipe only from front to back, stay well hydrated enough to urinate often and eat a good mix of protein and carbs. Alternate periods of rest with periods of activity.

This is what I've been told by midwives and learned through my own study. Since I see midwives, I would tell them what was going on in your situation...but, if I had an ob, I personally would wait until I was completely sure that my water was "broken" for good, not going to reseal and that labor was established. That's just because I've seen and heard too much that has come about as direct result of going in way too soon.

Take good care of yourself, trust your instincts and listen to them. Remember that what's good for mom is also good for baby because you are a unit. Good luck!

[koru]

it sounds like you may have leaked a little fluid but, like adoremybabe said, the bag can reseal. also, sometimes it can be a hind leak & your baby's head will come down a bit & seal off any passageways.

take vitamin C! this will help boost your immune system while you wait & see what's to come. who knows....maybe you're having contractions as i write & labor is on the way!

[adoremybabe]

Thanks, The last thing I want to do is go in to the hosp. too early only to have things done that aren't entirely necessary.

[gardenmommy]

Very good advice. The main thing is to leave things alone. Don't insert, or allow anyone to do vaginal exams. Infection isn't much of a risk if you just leave it alone.

Drink lots of water, rest if possible, eat plenty of protein (stay away from sugars, including refined flours). As the PP stated, watch for low-grade fevers, check your pad frequently, etc.

I have a midwife, who would be pretty laid-back, but if I was using an OB, I would not say anything for exactly the reasons you mentioned. I would not want anyone to try a vaginal exam or to bother me about getting checked out or whatever. As long as you are taking care of yourself, chances are the bag will reseal.

[adoremybabe]

You might say, " Well, Duh." but...... does this mean no s-e-x???

[wwisdomskr]

I would say that it does mean no sex. At least for right now.

[Doula Gina]

I have to add to this that the vaginal discharge, and vaginal moisture especially increase dramatically at the end of pregnancy. So, many women find that they soak their underwear just from standing for longer periods of time because of the watery discharge.

I have seen many false-positive tests for amniotic fluid in the hospital BTW- and a couple of OB's who freaked out when a client was admitted in labor and wasn't sure a week or more before whether their water was broken. The conclusion they jumped to was, you thought your water was broken, and it must have been. So now I'm going to treat you as if your water has been broken for a week and pump you full of antibiotics and keep threatening you with c-section. I would hope that you have chosen your care provider carefully enough that this is not the kind of response you would get, but these situations tend to happen in big practices (esp. Kaiser - since the on-calls don't even necessarily do prenatal work at all). So, if you aren't leaking a very birthy-smelling fluid, especially if you have been laying down and getting up and there is not leaking when you sit down on the toilet, it is very unlikely to be amniotic fluid.

But, if you are uncertain, the course of action described by others here is awesome. Keep anything and everything out of your vagina, if you do any immune boosters like emergen-c, garlic, or echinacea, now is a great time to use those, keep hydrated, rest plenty, and take your temp periodically.

Best wishes-

[adoremybabe]

My doctor is a family practice doc and I have only seen him throughout my pregnancy and he will be there when I give birth. I was thinking about calling his office this morning to let him know what happened...not planning on going in though. My mom suggested this. She used to be an OB nurse and I trust her judgement. (Isn't a nurse anymore because it has become too political and impersonal for her.) I have had had he really thin vaginal discharge before and this just felt different. My discharge also has a certain odor. This "fluid" didn't have that odor. That's why I am leaning towards an amniotic leak. I still feel fine so I am not too worried.