Advice needed - waters have broken

[mistyscott]

Hi all

My waters broke in spectacular fashion last night at about 9pm. I had a few mild contractions after that but then decided to get some sleep and managed this from 1am-5am. Not felt any more contractions (although getting tightenings - BH?) and planning a water homebirth....

Do I need to inform hospital?
Any tips for getting labour going?!

Thanks

 

[mistyscott]

just spoke to hospital and have to go in and get checked at 9am. Will be booked in for induction tomorrow morning if nothing doing by then...

Noooo! The pool is waiting in the dining room

What can I do to get this going?? Bouncing on ball and will get walking later...

 

[vikirose]

How many hours have they given you from the time of your waters going? I looked into this in my last pregnancy 5 yrs ago, it may have been on homebirth.org? It said that in the uk the time allowed from when your waters go to when you need hospital treatment varies county to county so in liverpool where I am it was 24 hrs but in Brighton it was 96 hrs??? So I rec if you'd rather stick by having a home birth you should research it and maybe ask for a day more. They can't actually force you in it just depends on how much of a pain in the arse you want to be. I think my friend got allowed extra time with hers recently, I'll ask her at the school gate at 9 and get back to you.
When my waters broke with #1 I called my mw who I'd got really friendly with but I didn't go into actual labour until about 14 hrs later. When another mw came the next day and I told her my waters had gone she said I had til that evening or I was going in to hossy but fav my mw was luckily still with me and she told the other one that I'd described it over the phone at the time and it sounded more like my show (that had gone a week before and she knew it) She was determined that I would get my HB but she was the only one who was into them out of her team. It had defo n=been a gush of water over the kitchen floor, she just knew I'd be ok!
To get labour going tho, eat a fresh pineapple, keep active, it sounds weird but play with your nipples and if your partners willing tmi but it works better um...swallowed (this was also a mw's advice to get me going haha!!

 

[Mervs Mum]

Firstly you don't HAVE to do anything. This is how my last two labours started ie waters and no ctx and what you need to do now is not think about what happens if X amount of time passes. It's unlikely that it will. Don't be surprised if nothing happens during the day as oxytocin levels are naturally lower. What you need to do is relax and switch off your thinking brain so it feels safe to labour. Make the house as much like night time as possible: dark, quiet, safe, cozy. Low levels of lighting or ideally candle light at the most, curtains drawn and do things you would to wind down before bed. Take a bath, read, relax, listen to relaxing music. Avoid the tv as it's stimulation for your brain.

IF and it's still an IF you get to 24 hours from yur waters going and no sign of labour don't have to be induced. So long as you are happy, baby is happy and there are no signs of infection, yu can stay and wait for it to start....because it will!!

Get them to come to you to check you. You are booked for a home birth you do not need to go to hospital. Once you get in there it can often be difficult to leave. It's your call but if the ctx had started they would come to you at home to check you so why do you need to go in just because they haven't yet?

 

[Blah11]

good luck. I'd wait a while so you don't have the dreaded (24 hours since waters have gone, 48 hours since waters have gone) panic over your head! Hopefully you'll get something abit more regular shortly X


eta - never mind, i see they already have threatened induction already

 

[ljo1984]

this happened to me with imogen and ended up being induced with pitocin was not fun! but i was uneducated in this area then, if it was to happen again id happily go in for monitoring but id now refuse induction unless i was showing signs of infection or baby was in distress! ive read a few storied where women have refused induction and still had their homebirth, some a couple of days after waters breaking! they cant make you have an induction and if your heart is set on HB then id fight for that (well not fight, just tell them striaght that is how its going to be lol). xxx

 

[wigglywoo]

I asked my midwife about this just yesterday. She said that they like to know that waters have gone and they will wait/monitor for 48 hours and if nothing has happened by then, you will be offered an induction (or sooner if there is infection/baby in distress etc). If you don't want to be induced, they will offer further monitoring, more than likely every other day until baby makes its appearance.

I'm sure that your contractions will start soon and you will have no need to worry about time frames or inductions

 

[mistyscott]

Thanks all

Feeling a bit down as went into hospital to get checked only to be told it's my hindwaters which have gone and cervix is still posterior and she reckoned 1cm thick. Due to this his head is positioned in wrong place to kick-start labour and she thinks it very unlikely I'll go on my own
Booked for induction at 8am tomorrow and no choice but to have synto drip in my hospital. Trying to think positive - and bouncing on ball to try and get him into position. No contractions and just crampy pain from the very efficient stretch and sweep the mw did at hospital. Back home and the birth pool is staring at me! Interestingly, my mum said I was the exact same - waters broke, no labour and had to be induced. But I appeared in 2hrs following induction so here's hoping for a repeat of that pattern!

There didn't seem to be much room for negotiation re: induction...although I'm pushing for the gel over the drip to start with as could still labour in the pool if that works. Got a bit of a telling off for not going straight in after waters breaking as it was...(a nice telling off though).
Fingers crossed for something to kick off tonight, but doesn't sound likely...

 

[ljo1984]

They might refuse gel due to infection risk but don't know much about hind waters. Hope something does happen before hand though, you never know! Xx

 

[Mervs Mum]

There is room for negotiation. You don't have to have an induction unless you want one. Yu can't be arrested and dragged in to hospital and induced! If you go in you are agreeing and consenting.

 

[Nikki_d72]

Spinning babies website has a position called "open knee chest" to disengage a malpositioned baby, basically it's getting on all fours with your knees quite wide and letting your chest drop to the floor, so you end up with your bum in the air, knees apart and slightly back from being under your hips. It might be worth a shot to get your baby to disengage a bit and re-engage in a better position. It may not be your hindwaters that have broken but baby may have dropped and plugged the leak, with a bit of membrane still intact in front of the head, which is what she's seeing. Anyway, maybe give it a shot to get better application of the head on your cervix for dilation and it may also release more water if it is indeed baby's gead plugging the gap. SROM before labour often makes for slightly oddly positioned babies but it usually resolves before birth.

My waters broke before labour as well with DD and I'd say it took a day or so for it to start but we were driving for 4 hours to get to hospital in case induction was needed (was planning to birth in a rural unit) so it may have come on quicker if I'd been in the type of atmosphere MM is describing. She was posterior and I wish I'd known what I do now. The rupture usually does stimulate your body to labour, maybe just not straight away.

You absolutely DO have a choice on induction, whether the MW makes that clear or not. It's got to be your choice. Hoping you have started labouring now and don't need it anyway GL xx