Onset of Labor, Water Breaking, Etc

Both of my sons were breech. With my first son my water broke at work while I was walking to the bathroom. It was just a little, but every step I took more came out...all of the way to the hospital. At least it was clear. His bottom was blocking the entrance so just a little came out when I moved. My second son, my water broke at 3 am. I woke up and felt a tingling. I knew it was my water so I rolled out of bed and ran for the bathroom. I managed to make it to the bathroom. There was merconium (sp?) in it so it was a nasty color and smell. Had to go to the hospital with a towel between my legs.

My water broke with the last (6th) baby. Some came out at home and much more at the hospital. My little boy weighed 9 lbs 9 1/2 oz-he practically bathed, ate and turned on Sports Center! He was born in 55 minutes! That was almost 21 yrs ago-it just seems like yesterday! All the best to you! Believe me when I say , these are the best years-and they will evaporate before your eyes.

I love talking about labor, such a memorable time. With my first one, I got up out of bed and GUSH, my water broke and ran down my legs all the way to the bathroom. With my second, again, my water just gushed. Third time around was a scheduled c-section (from the two previous cections I had due to labor not progressing), and with my 4th, again another scheduled c-section but labor began the night before with my water breaking but it was more of a constant trickle. I think most labors for many women begin at home during the night or at the hospital. I wouldn't worry about it breaking in public, though.

With my first, labor began by my water breaking. With my second, it was contractions that started labor and my water breaking on its own many hours later.

With my first son 25 years ago, I heard and felt a "pop" that woke me out of sleep and I rushed to the toilet. There was a ig gush of water and I freaked out, lol. Later, during labor, I found out there was a second sack of waters and they had to break that.

With my second son 16 years ago, I wiped away my nasty looking mucus plug, which didn't happen with my first as it came out in tiny peices over a long period of time. Then I started leaking a very tiny bit. as my contractions started really kicking in water would leak out with every squeeze of a contraction. In the car to the hospital, my lap slowly filled with water with each contraction and then overflow. Then it would fill up again and overflow again. By the time I got to the hospital most of my water was squeezed out.

With my triplets, I was already in the hospital so when they did the c-section they broke each of the babies sacks themselves.

If you're worried about breaking your water in public, don't. If it happens no one will care, lol.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

My water broke in a huge gush while we were eating dinner at home. I ran, fork in hand, straight to the bathroom! I think my baby boy just outgrew the available space- he was 8 1/2 pounds and a week early. I had to keep one hand over my head just to breathe all that day!
I think because I was eating at the time, I had insane diarreah and puking for 20 minutes straight right after that. I remember hearing my husband tell the doc on the phone, "I don't think we're going to get to the hospital in an hour. I don't think she can move out of the bathroom!"
Luckily, it did end, and I was able to catch a quick shower before heading to the hospital. All this time, the water never stopped gushing. I ended up wearing my husband's pajama pants and flip flops. He covered the car seat with towels and trash bags. By the time I got to the hospital, the pj's were soaked through and I was sliding around in the flip flops. A ten year old boy took one look at me walking in the hospital and said with toal disgust, "Oh my God!" Of course his mom gave him a good poke in the back for that!
The nurses had us slog right through the nurse's station and to a birthing room without doing the whole evaluation room thing. Even seated, water just kept gushing right through the hospital pads. Finally, they just had me sit on towels. Everyone who came in would make some joke about how good my son's kidneys were!
All this, and I was not at all dialated or effaced. Contractions didn't even start for another couple of hours!
I'm hoping for an easier time with the birth of my second son this June- so that my first son isn't totally traumatized seeing all this!

My friend's broke, gushing, while driving home their brand new minivan :).

I have been through labor and delivery 5 times and will be experiencing #6 come early October. With that being said I have never gone into labor spontaneously. I have been induced everytime, my water has always been broken by the doctor. With that being said every labor is different. Generally speaking when your water breaks how it comes out all depends on the position of the baby. If the baby is low and you are sitting (or standing) the baby may block the water so you only experience a trickle. If the baby is high then you may experience a gush of water.

Congrats and good luck!

With #1, my water broke while I was sweeping the kitchen floor. It was a fairly big gush, but not enough for it to run down my leg and leak onto the floor. I sat on the toilet for a while, and every time I tried to get up, I leaked more. I leaked for hours before I started to feel any contractions. Dr. told me to labor at home until the contractions started getting painful. I went to the hospital about 7 hours later and delivered 12 hours after my water broke.

With #2, I was induced and they broke my water right before I delivered.

With #3, I went into labor on my own, and again, they broke my water right before I delivered.

So each of my pregnancies and deliveries were quite a bit different. I'm sure you'll be fine even if your water breaks before your contractions start. Good luck and congrats in advance!

Updated

With #1, my water broke while I was sweeping the kitchen floor. It was a fairly big gush, but not enough for it to run down my leg and leak onto the floor. I sat on the toilet for a while, and every time I tried to get up, I leaked more. I leaked for hours before I started to feel any contractions. Dr. told me to labor at home until the contractions started getting painful. I went to the hospital about 7 hours later and delivered 12 hours after my water broke.

With #2, I was induced and they broke my water right before I delivered.

With #3, I went into labor on my own, and again, they broke my water right before I delivered.

So each of my pregnancies and deliveries were quite a bit different. I'm sure you'll be fine even if your water breaks before your contractions start. Good luck and congrats in advance!

I have had 3 births, two were very similar but the third wasn't. There was almost 10 years between #2 and #3. My first 2 births, my water never broke until I was in the hospitial and the doctor broke it. My last one, I was laying in bed with my two kids, me in the middle, rolled over and my water broke, all over the bed, then I ran into the bathroom, all over the floor, it just gushed everywhere. My husband was out and I couldn't reach him, we only had one car, so I had to call a Taxi. My labor contractions took about 45 minutes or so after my water broke. It wasn't right away, we were in the taxi and I was like, I'm have contractions now. I was supposed to have a schedule c-section in 5 more days, but he wanted to have his own date. The doctor on call, said I could still have my c-section, so I did.

With my first two births, very similar, about 2 1/2 hours shorter with my second than first. Back labor with both, that how i knew I was really in labor. No back labor with the 3rd, but I really wanted a c-section, I remembered how painful and I don't have take anything, I wanted it to be as natural as possible.

Congrats on #2!!!

Both of my first two children I felt the contractions coming on strong before my water broke completely at the hospital. I felt a little leak during a few of the early contractions. Both of these first births were short and ideal. I induced with my third baby at 40 weeks do of course they broke my water and it all came out at once. This was also an easy birth.

With my first the Dr broke my water at the hospital when I was like 9 cms and they only did it to get me to 10 cms faster. I was in labour for 20 hrs with my first. I expected my second to be the same just faster but Iwas thinking faster meant I was lucky if I was in labour for maybe 10 hours. I went into labour with an insanly painful contraction as I went to sit on the toilet to take a pee at 11:45am and she was born less than 2hrs later at 1:30pm and my water broke as I was being checked to see just how far along I was at the hospital when we first got there. This was just last month and I posted that it was the fasted labour in the world. With my first I remember waking up feeling a bit off and crampy and it just got more and more painful as the time went on and my second I literally felt nothing until that crazy painful contraction out of no where and I must have hit 10 cms with that one contraction because I had maybe 10 contractions and she was born
Good Luck and Congrats

With both of my LO they had to break my water. I know in that instance it gushes. Also with #1 I had back labor but not that bad and it took 48 hours to have him. When #2 was ready o man the pain was horrible. I had to crawl to the truck so we could go to the hospital and it went so fast I didn't have time to think... well ok it took two hours but in all reality that was fast for what I was expecting.

My water broke with the 3 breech births and there was enough to have to go to the hospital with a wet towel still soaking water. Fortunately they all broke at home though and not at the store. Every birth was somewhat different but 2 faster in like an hour from getting to the hospital, the other 6 about 6 hours after getting to the hospital. The first was born at 33 weeks. With most contractions in the front and around to the back, etc. With two a milder and a 'different'' feeling and with those they were born 1 hour after getting to hospital. There were no epidurals in my day, blocks though and I was glad I opted out of those with the last 3. Much easier to know when to push, etc. without them.

My daughter was working behind the customer service counter at Toys R Us when her water broke in a huge gush. She sloshed to the back of the store, clocked out, and then drove across Dallas in rush hour traffic to the hospital where her son was born via c-section @ 33 weeks.