When Your Water Breaks....

Updated on October 13, 2010
L.P. asks from Bath, ME
22 answers

what color will it be? I know it can come out a little at a time.... but how will I know that it is the water breaking and not just discharge?

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J.V.

answers from Chicago on

I leaked with my first. You can't miss it ;-) You literally start soaking pads like crazy, and when you go to stand up, lots of stuff comes out.

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D.S.

answers from Tulsa on

when my water broke I had just went to pee and it gushed like more than pee in little sequences like peeing at 2 minute intervals.trust me you will know it will be more than pee. with my first the doc had to break my water.

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D.M.

answers from Detroit on

L.---You'll know. It is much like peeing in your pants. It happened to my with my second. I got up in the morning and it was sort of like sneezing with an incontinence problem. If I remember correctly, it was clear. For me, it wasn't a lot of liquid, but it was noticable.

Called my doctor and they said to come in. They has something like ph paper that can confirm whether or not it is amniotic fluid. But, don't drive yourself. They are concerned that you might go into labor while driving. Good luck and congrats! D.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.O.

answers from Chicago on

You'll feel like you're peeing yourself.

There was a little "test" we were taught in case it wasn't obvious. Get dried off and all cleaned up. Put on clean, dry underwear and put a few folded up pieces of TP in your underwear, like it was a pantiliner.

Then go lay down for 10 minutes - completely flat (but you can use a pillow).
After that time get up and go see if there's any wetness on the tissue.

If yes, it was probably your water leaking. The logic is that sometimes when you stand up the baby's head blocks the uterine opening preventing any noticable leaking. That's why you lay down, to let the baby settle back into position, not blocking the opening. And the TP is so clearly wet, versus using a pantiliner or pad, that you can tell if you are leaking fluid.

It worked for us! Best wishes.

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M.B.

answers from Lancaster on

When my water broke, I was peeing (very convenient) I felt a litttle pop and then it cam gushing out (felt like I was peeing but could not stop). It was clear. If yours bursts like mine did, believe me you will know!

1 mom found this helpful

C.B.

answers from Kansas City on

mine was just like water, honestly i felt like i was peeing myself constantly. just a little trickle, but it went on and on and didn't stop. it was a pain! but i had other things on my mind lol. i put a pad on for the ride to the hospital.

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H.P.

answers from Springfield on

Hi! Congratulations on your baby!! :) Don't worry about the color.. you most likely won't see it anyway. They "say" most waters break at night anyway and you'll most likely be in bed. But to answer your question.. it is colorless because it is a sack of water surrounding the uterus. You will definitely know because it will gush out of you but you'll know you didn't have a "pee urge" and it doesn't smell like pee either. It will be that "aha" moment for you when you know the time is now! :) With that said, sometimes the water doesn't break and the labor pains start anyway (as with my second). Either way, the pains will be so intense and so unlike false labor pains and very consistent that you will be fairly certain, again, that the time is now. :) And by the way, when you go to the hospital, the nurses will check you to make sure it's from the bag of waters and not urine, so don't worry, everyone will know, most of all you when the time is right. Congrats and good luck!!

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A.E.

answers from Springfield on

My water broke with both of my children and trust me, there is no way to mistake it! Even when it is just a little it is a clearish thin fluid (like urine) that gushes out of you! It is really like peeing your pants (but you have no control over it!) Both times for me it first happened while I was in bed sleeping (I thought I had peed the bed!) and then when I went down the stairs to call our doctor even more "water" poured out! I walked around with a towel around my middle like a diaper! Anyway, my point is, you will not have any trouble distinguising it from discharge! Good luck!

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B.W.

answers from Pittsburgh on

with my son my water broke and i didn't know if my bladder just leaked from the baby kicking or my water broke. It was clear, but it can be pink or green even i believe. Wipe yourself really well and move around, lay down and sit up and see if you get anymore come out. I called my doctor and she had me to come into the hospital and they have a test that can tell really quick. She told me not to embarrassed or anything because it happens. With my daughter the doctor had to break my water and it was green from merconium.

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R.B.

answers from New York on

You can not stop the flow like you can with pee you know with your pelvic muscles. It is clear and has no smell. If it is green go to the hospital asap. It does feel like a pop if it breaks but if it is just leaking it is harder to tell.
Good luck.

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K.F.

answers from Dallas on

I never knew when mine broke the first time (she was a couple weeks early) but I did keep peeing all morning so we think it must have been a slow leak. The doctor knew right away when he checked me. But the 2nd time it was a big gush and was tinged pink. Congrats and good luck! You'll do great!

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B.L.

answers from Boston on

Amniotic fluid is watery and has a sweet scent. It's supposed to be clear, sometimes tinged pinkish (usually that happens because it mixes with some blood -- birth is a messy process LOL) but sometimes it's greenish/blackish because of meconium -- that means that the baby has pooped before birth for some reason. If it's green/black call your midwife/doctor and let them know -- if your baby breathes in the meconium, he or she is at higher risk for lung problems.

Only about 10% of women have their water break before the onset of labor. In all 3 of my labors, my waters broke around the time I needed to start pushing, and within about 20 min or so of the actual birth. All three time I heard/felt the pop, and the one time my husband could actually see it, he said it was like someone threw a waterballoon. The first time was in the toilet and the third time was in the car, about 5 minutes before my son was born, also in the car. :-)

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V.F.

answers from Scranton on

I have only had my water break once with all four of my pregnancies. It will usually be clear to slightly pink in some cases. Their can also be some blood. Not a lot mind you but there can be some. I have also heard that it will typically smell sweet. This may sound odd but it is a good way to know that it is your water breaking and not urine. Be advised that most hospitals will only allow you a 12-24 hour labor at most after your water has broken.

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S.B.

answers from Burlington on

when mine broke.. it started out as a very slow leak.. i went to the bathroom and noticed that my undies were damp and i didn't remember peeing myself. lol i layed down for 30 mins and got back up to see if there was more.. same thing, just a little damp. i layed down again for a couple of hrs (was on bedrest anyways) and when i got up to go potty, there was a lot of pink fluid. my water actually broke (as in.. gushed out) when the doc was checking to see how dialated i was.
trust yourself, i think you will know the difference.. if you aren't sure, call your ob and see if they will test it.

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L.L.

answers from Topeka on

My water broke in bed with my 1st it felt as if I peed the bed no color then went to the batroom in a matter of minutes the contractions began/my 2nd I got up to pee layed back down then pop like a water ballon went off in my belly water gushed out/3rd well Dr had to break it

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J.M.

answers from Scranton on

I was laying down trying to take a nap and i felt some contractions that took my breath away. I called my Dr and he told me to go down to the hospital and get checked out. I went and the nurse told me to go into the bathroom and change into a gown and give a urine while in there. I sat down to give a urine and all uf a sudden a there was a pop and a gush of fluid. Talk about good timing lol.

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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

When mine went , I felt a slight pop sensation and so slight that it could go unoticed , then I had a small amount of fluid that was clear that was trickling out , they didn't rupture properly until I was pushing my son out. But the fluid should be clear and have no odour , if they have color then it is usually because the baby has had a bowel movement. If you are in doubt about it being your waters then speak to your OB and have them check.

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

L.:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

When my water broke the first time - I was going to the bathroom!! (How polite of my little guy, eh?) Since I had never had a baby before, when I walked out of the bathroom, I told my best friend (who had had 3 babies) "that was the best pee I've had since I've been pregnant!" She knew right away my water had broken (he was six weeks early).

Your amniotic fluid is usually colorless. When it breaks - you will feel pressure (at least I did) for every W. it's different!

With my second I had a slow leak so it never gushed.

One of my girlfriends wore a sanitary pad for the last 4 weeks of her pregnancy whenever she went out in public...

I'm sorry I can't be of more help you to. I hope I am letting you know that it WILL be okay! :)

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M.R.

answers from Columbus on

If you are worried, call your OB and have them test to see. When my water broke, I knew I was not peeing, and it was obvious. It was clear fluid. If you think you are leaking, find out for sure.

M.

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M.L.

answers from Kansas City on

because discharge doesn't run down your legs, lol!!

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

If it breaks you will feel the pop, and you will not be able to stop the fluid like you can pee. If it is a leak, you may not know for sure. If you keep feeling like you are peeing yourself and you can not control it, you may want to call the doctor because you could be leaking water.

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

Buy some of those incontinence pads at CVS and keep one under the sheet in your bed or you will ruin your mattress. I also kept one in the car to sit on. Both times my water broke at 4 AM and you wake up since it is such a strange feeling. There is a LOT of water and it KEEPS on leaking since your body actually makes more fluid until the afterbirth is out. I also used those pads for emergency diaper changing pads and to put on top of the changing stations in bathrooms. There were 10 in a package and they were about 2 x 2 feet. My husband said when he came back to the house after the first delivery the bedroom smelled really vinegary and weird, so even though it was later at night he first had to change the sheets and put them in the washer since the smell was so funky. May your labor be short and your happiness long!

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