Your doctor or a member of your health care team will give you a physical exam to determine if you're leaking amniotic fluid. In some cases, an ultrasound might be done to check your amniotic fluid volume.
You and your baby will be evaluated to determine the next steps. Typically, after your water breaks at term, labor soon follows — if it hasn't already begun. Sometimes, however, labor doesn't start. If you experience prelabor rupture of membranes, your doctor might stimulate uterine contractions before labor begins on its own labor induction.
The longer it takes for labor to start after your water breaks, the greater the risk of you or your baby developing an infection. If your water breaks before the 37th week of pregnancy, it's known as preterm prelabor rupture of membranes preterm PROM. Risk factors for water breaking too early include:. Potential complications include maternal or fetal infection, placental abruption — when the placenta peels away from the inner wall of the uterus before delivery — and umbilical cord problems.
The baby is also at risk of complications due to premature birth. If you have preterm PROM and you're at least 34 weeks pregnant, delivery might be recommended to avoid an infection. However, if there are no signs of infection or fetal health problems, research suggests that pregnancy can safely be allowed to continue as long as it's carefully monitored.
If you're between 24 and 34 weeks pregnant, your health care provider will try to delay delivery until your baby is more developed. You'll be given antibiotics to prevent an infection and an injection of potent steroids corticosteroids to speed your baby's lung maturity.
If you're less than 32 weeks pregnant and at risk of delivering in the next few days, you might be given magnesium sulfate to protect the baby's nervous system. Corticosteroids might also be recommended starting at week 23 of pregnancy, if you're at risk of delivering within 7 days. In addition, corticosteroids might be recommended if you're between weeks 34 and 36 and 6 days of pregnancy, at risk of delivering within 7 days, and you haven't previously received them.
You might be given a repeat course of corticosteroids if you're less than 34 weeks pregnant, at risk of delivering within 7 days and a prior course of corticosteroids was given to you more than 14 days previously. Labor could still be a day or two away, says Allison Hill, M. In an overwhelming majority of cases—some 80 percent—labor begins with contractions, then water breaking. In the other 20 percent, the water breaks first and is usually followed by labor pains within a few hours.
The sensation is different for everyone. For some, it's a slow trickle or a discharge feeling you may think you've suddenly become incontinent! For others, it's that Hollywood-style gush, like you just completely peed your pants. Still others hear a pop and feel pressure, then relief, once the bag breaks.
Though urine and discharge exit your body from the same general neighborhood, amniotic fluid is typically odorless, though some women say it smells sweet, like chlorine or semen. It's also usually clear or tinged with small streaks of blood. This is the million-dollar question and probably the one keeping you up at night! How much comes out at first can vary from a small leak to an all-out gush, depending on whether you have a tear or a gross rupture, explains Yvonne Bohn, M.
In the meantime, you can wear a sanitary pad to protect your clothes or lay a clean towel underneath you to protect your seat. A call to your OB-GYN is in order — she'll advise you on when and how quickly to come to the hospital.
Among the factors she'll consider are:. But in reality, your experience will most likely be very different. Your "water breaking" is the rupture of the amniotic sac that signals your baby is almost ready to be born. No one knows for sure what triggers the chemical chain reaction that begins labor typically around week 40 of pregnancy, but experts point to a number of complicated factors, including brain signals from the fetus.
It may feel like stream of warm liquid that makes your underwear and possibly even your pants wet. But more likely is that it will be a slow and steady trickle of fluid.
Amniotic fluid is a pale, straw-colored fluid. Your water breaking may be accompanied by bloody show. You might also lose your mucus plug , which looks like you probably imagine: a glob of mucus.
Though many pregnant women leak urine, especially in the third trimester , a sniff will probably clue you in. If the fluid is yellowish and smells of ammonia, it's probably urine. Don't worry too much about your water breaking when you're on a checkout line: Only about 1 in 10 women experience the rupture of the amniotic sac before they go into labor.
So chances are good that you'll have plenty of warning or you'll already be in the hospital when your water breaks. And lots of women require the artificial rupture of the membranes by their practitioner. Contact your healthcare provider right away if your water breaks preterm. Together you can discuss the best course of action based on how many weeks pregnant you are and the health of you and your baby. Your water breaking early can also increase the risk of infection and placental abruption when the placenta peels away from uterine lining.
Your healthcare provider will be able to discuss the risks associated with having a preterm baby and of delaying the labor. Read more about the signs of premature labor , and get some more useful information from our FAQ on having a premature baby.
No matter how your water breaks, it's an important signal that your baby is getting ready to meet you. Take a deep breath, and focus on the task at hand. What Happens When Your Water Breaks During pregnancy, your baby is surrounded by the amniotic fluid in the amniotic sac, which cushions and protects your baby. Review this article: 0. Start with: Your email address. Sign up NOW.
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