When you are pregnant, one of the signs that you are going to be giving birth soon is when your water breaks. If you have ever wondered, what does it feel like when your water breaks, it is just as it sounds: the bag of amniotic fluid tears and the fluid begins to leak out of your cervix and then out your vagina. While it is a sign that you might be entering the early labor stage, not all women experience this naturally before giving birth. When it does, it is called “prelabor rupture of membranes” or PROM. About 1 in 10 women experience this while others will have to have their water broken by the doctor before giving birth.
What Does It Feel Like When Your Water Breaks?
For some women it is a gush of fluids that even though it is expected can be a little surprising. The fluid is actually clear and odorless, so it could happen without you even realizing it. Some women may feel like they just lost control of their bladder and urinated on themselves.
For some women it is not a big flush of fluids but it is more like a trickle of water. And then there are some women who fit in the middle with a noticeable wet feeling without any notice, neither a gush nor a trickle. You can see that there is no pat answer to the question of "what does it feel like when your water breaks." For some women the water break could occur at night while they are sleeping making them wonder if they wet the bed.
Some women are happy when their water breaks because it means that they are getting ready to finally deliver their baby. Many women even experience a more intense feeling of labor once their water has broken. It is different for every woman and if it hasn’t happened by the time her labor contractions have begun, the doctor or nurses will break the water to get the delivery going.
What does it feel like when your water breaks? Watch a video to get a clearer idea of it:
How Do You Know When Your Water Has Broken?
Because of the pressure that pregnancy puts on a woman's bladder, it isn’t always easy to tell when her water has broken or if she just had an accidental urination. Because there are no real signs in advance, there may be no real way to know if your water has broken. If that is the case you should call your doctor or stop into his office. A quick exam and a lab test will let your doctor know if it was amniotic fluid that you experienced. Once this has been determined, the doctor will let you know what the next steps towards your delivery will be.
Things You Should Know If Your Water Breaks
If your water does break on its own, you should make a note as to what time it happened and if there was any odor or color to it. If the color of the fluid is green or brown you will need to call your doctor; this could be the result of the baby having had a bowel movement. Your physician will want to keep an eye on this situation to make sure the baby doesn’t ingest any of it. And you may need to use a pad to capture the fluids to cut down on the chance of getting an infection.
Make sure you don’t do something that could cause any bacteria to get into your vagina. Sex is out of the question but you could take a quick shower if you want. Check with your doctor first, he or she may want you to skip the shower and get right to the hospital. If you are experiencing a steady flow of water you might want to bring a towel to put underneath you in the car.
Once you are at the hospital you may be asked about the color of the fluid when it broke and if you have any contractions yet. The doctor will check the baby’s heartbeat and he may want to check your cervix as well.
When Will Labor Begin After Water Breaks?
The rule of thumb is once your water breaks your labor will begin if you aren’t already in labor. If you are not progressing into labor your doctor will probably induce it to prevent any risk of infection to the baby.