95 women in every 100 will give birth within 4-5 days of their waters breaking however the risk of infection in your womb increases significantly after 24 hours. This is the reason we recommend planning an induction after 36 hours.
About 1 in 10 women whose planned caesareans are scheduled for 39 weeks will go into labour first. That means their waters break or their contractions start. If this happens, you will have an emergency rather than a planned caesarean.
If your waters break before your caesarean section is planned then your viral load is important for deciding what to do. If your viral load is above 50 but less than 1000 copies/mL your medical team will consider an emergency caesarean section.
In most cases, your pregnancy care provider will want to deliver your baby within 24 to 48 hours. If your baby is preterm (less than 37 weeks of pregnancy), your healthcare provider may be able to use medication to delay delivery. This usually requires careful monitoring in the hospital.
The advantages of having your water intentionally broken are: It can speed up or progress your labor by bringing your baby down closer to your cervix and increasing contractions. It can help your healthcare provider monitor your baby more closely for distress.
If a child then only has to remain in the uterus for a few days without amniotic fluid, this does not have any major consequences for the development of the child. However, if the baby has to go four to six weeks without amniotic fluid, in many cases the lungs can no longer develop normally.
Approximately one in ten women with a booked caesarean section will go into labour/break their waters prior to the planned date. The obstetric (maternity) team will assess you and explain the options available if this does happen (even if you have a caesarean booked and it is carried out prior to this date).
If your baby is not born within the next 24 hours after your waters breaking, he/ she will need to stay in hospital for 12 hours after birth so they can be closely monitored for any signs of an infection. A small number of women will not go into labour within 48 hours and will be advised to have their labour induced.
Planned elective caesarean and going into labour
It is likely that an emergency caesarean will be performed once labour is confirmed. If labour is very advanced, or if the labour is early (before 37 weeks), then VBAC may be more suitable. Your obstetrician will discuss this with you.
Babies born early (called premature babies) may have more health problems at birth and later in life than babies born on time. This is why it's important to wait until at least 39 weeks for a scheduled c-section.
How long does a C-section surgery take? The typical C-section takes about 45 minutes from start to finish. After your provider delivers your baby, they'll stitch your uterus and close the incision in your abdomen.
During the natural process of labor, the water breaks when the baby's head puts pressure on the amniotic sac, causing it to rupture. Women will notice either a gush or a trickle of water coming out of the vagina. Many doctors say that women must give birth within 12–24 hours of the water breaking.
Sometimes, however, labor doesn't start. If you experience prelabor rupture of membranes, your doctor might stimulate uterine contractions before labor begins on its own (labor induction). The longer it takes for labor to start after your water breaks, the greater the risk of you or your baby developing an infection.
Once the amniotic sac has been broken, the labor team will continue to monitor you and your baby. If you want to get up and walk around, your nurse will give you a large mesh pad to catch any drainage. You may begin to have contractions or feel like your baby has dropped further in your pelvis.
When your baby is ready to begin the journey through the birth canal, your cervix dilates from fully closed to 10 centimeters. This process can take hours, days, or even weeks. But once you hit active labor – about 6 cm dilated – it's usually just a matter of hours before you reach full dilation.
Sometimes, your arms will be strapped down in a T-position away from your sides. This is done to prevent you from accidentally interfering with the surgery. You may also have a catheter placed. There will be a drape placed at your abdomen to keep you from seeing directly into the incision.
The average hospital stay after a C-section is 2 to 4 days, and keep in mind recovery often takes longer than it would from a vaginal birth. Walking after the C-section is important to speed recovery and pain medication may be supplied too as recovery takes place.
Approximately 90% of people will go into spontaneous labor within 24 hours if they're between 37 and 40 weeks pregnant when their water breaks. Your provider may induce labor with medications or allow your labor to progress on its own.
If the amniotic fluid is too low during this time, your baby may not make enough lung tissue. This can cause breathing problems at delivery. Oligohydramnios can happen at any time during pregnancy, but it's most common in the last trimester (last 3 months).
While too much amniotic fluid is associated with an increased risk of stillbirth—in pregnancies involving normal amniotic fluid levels, 2 out of 1,000 babies are stillborn; with polyhydramnios, it's 4 out of 1,000—the risk is low.
Hospitals and doctors have their own individual policies for epidurals. In most cases, however, an epidural will not be given until the mother is at least 3-4 centimeters dilated. Once the mother is fully dilated most doctors and hospitals will consider it too late for an epidural to be given.
A doctor may apply a medication that contains prostaglandin to soften the cervix and promote dilation. A process called membrane stripping may help. It involves a doctor or midwife rubbing their fingers against the membranes of the amniotic sac to release prostaglandin into the uterus and help the cervix dilate.
If your water breaks, whether you're experiencing contractions or not, go to the hospital. This will help reduce the risk of infection. Note the color, odor and amount of fluid when your water broke.