There are no proven safe ways for a woman to break her water at home. It can be dangerous if the
In fact, it is often the squeezing force of the contractions that pops the membranes. So, if you're worried about your water breaking suddenly when you're out on the street, you can rest assured that most women get advanced warning in the form of strong contractions. Sometimes, water breaks while you're sleeping.
Your water can break at any time — before labor begins, after contractions have started or right before delivery. Your healthcare provider may even break your water for you (amniotomy). The amount of water that comes out can look like a bucket of water spilling. Or it can be a slow trickle that goes unnoticed.
What if your water doesn't break on its own? During active labor, if your cervix is dilated and thinned and the baby's head is deep in your pelvis, your health care provider might use a technique known as an amniotomy to start labor contractions or make them stronger if they have already begun.
Most often, your water won't break until you're well into labor (it happens prior to the onset of labor only about 8% to 10% of the time). 1 Still, the fear is real that you won't know the difference between water breaking vs. discharge vs. urine.
"Pressure from the baby's head produces prostaglandins, which signals to your body that it's time to go and start contractions," says Brichter. These prostaglandins also soften and open up the cervix.
Medical interventions can speed up labor, but there are other ways to encourage dilation. They include moving around, rocking on an exercise ball, using relaxation techniques, and laughing. Dilation is a term that describes the widening of the cervical opening.
There are no proven safe ways for a woman to break her water at home. It can be dangerous if the water breaks before natural labor begins or before the baby is fully developed. During the natural process of labor, the water breaks when the baby's head puts pressure on the amniotic sac, causing it to rupture.
Usually the bag of waters breaks just before you go into labor or during the early part of labor. It happens often when you are in bed sleeping. You may wake up and think you have wet the bed. Sometimes women feel or even hear a small “pop” when the bag breaks.
Baby's movement in utero can also cause a sudden gush, as can a contraction. If your amniotic sac breaks forcefully (for example, during a strong contraction and/or when baby slips into a lower position), the resulting gush can also be forceful.
This method works for some women, but not all. Breaking your water (also called an amniotomy). The doctor ruptures the amniotic sac during a vaginal exam using a little plastic hook to break the membranes. If the cervix is ready for labor, amniotomy usually brings on labor in a matter of hours.
"Lying on your side, standing, sitting, walking, rocking—anything that keeps you active can help decrease pain and speed up labor," says Dawley. Other benefits of upright labor positions include: Reduced need for medication. Help in dilating your cervix and widening your pelvic opening.
Inducing labor should be for medical reasons only. If there are medical reasons to induce your labor, talk to your provider about waiting until at least 39 weeks of pregnancy. This gives your baby the time she needs to grow and develop before birth. Scheduling labor induction should be for medical reasons only.
If your cervix is open, your midwife or doctor will insert their finger into the opening and gently stretch your cervix. They will then sweep their finger around in a circular movement to try to separate the membranes from the wall of your uterus.
It is not uncommon for the cervical ripening to take up to 24-36 hours!! It is also not uncommon to use different techniques to ripen the cervix. You may feel contractions during this process. If the contractions become painful, you will be able to request medication to relieve your discomfort.
You should not feel any pain when your waters break. At most, there may be a mild popping sensation.
Prelabor rupture of the membranes, wherein the water breaks before contractions begin, occurs in only around 8% of pregnancies, according to the National Health Service (NHS). If the water does not break during labor, a doctor or midwife may artificially break the sac using a technique called an amniotomy.
Now - back to reality. Research shows that waters breaking by themselves tends to happen in only around 10% to 15% of pregnancies - you're much more likely to have them broken for you once you're in hospital.