When your waters break before labor starts
A decision point that arrives before you are ready for it.
In a proportion of pregnancies the membranes rupture before contractions begin. At term this usually leads to a conversation about whether to wait for labor to start on its own or to induce, balancing the chance of spontaneous labor against a rising risk of infection over time.
Practices differ considerably in how long they will wait, from a few hours to a day or more. It is worth knowing what your unit does before it happens.
Once the waters are brokenInternal examinations raise the infection risk, so this is a point at which asking "does this examination change anything?" genuinely matters. Report any fever, any change in the colour or smell of the fluid, and any change in the baby's movements immediately.
Where this comes from:
174. Moncrieff G, Gyte GML, Dahlen HG, Thomson G, Singata-Madliki M, Clegg A, et al. Routine vaginal examinations compared to other methods for assessing progress of labour to improve outcomes for women and babies at term. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;(3):CD010088.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.