Naturally minded mommies-? about ARM

[jlw617]

So let me tell you that I have gone more and more crunchy over the years, I was pretty naive about some things and breaking of the waters or ARM was one of those things, with both my previous labors, I went into labor on my own, however I only got to a 4 or 5 and then I wouldn't progress anymore...with both, they offered to break my waters to get things going again (I had no idea it was considered a form of induction!) any how I'm worried I'll follow the same pattern this time and have read about birthing with the waters still intact, a caul birth...

So I have a couple questions, first let's say I go into labor again but then I stop at a 4 or 5 because my water hasn't broken, would they just send me home after a certain amount of time? Anyone know how much time roughly?

Ok, question number two, is it pretty likely that if I did continue to progress that the waters would eventually break because there's so much pressure?

Last question, I think haha...let's say I actually deliver in the sac, would it be less painful? I know for me my contractions were mild until they broke my water and I also have heard other women say this as well...

Ok I lied, one more question- I know that in a typical vaginal birth or even c-section where there are contractions, the contractions help to push the fluid out of the lungs, does this still happen with a caul birth.

 

[MindUtopia]

If your labour slows at 4-5 cms it's likely not because your waters weren't broken. No labour that is progressing just stops because the waters are intact, usually it's for another reason, like it's just a stop-stop early labour (which is totally normal), you feel stressed or feel like you're being observed or just interrupted too much, you need to eat or drink more, etc., baby just isn't ready, etc. I'm not sure if they would send you home or offer induction to speed you up. Certainly, if you want to go home, you can. There's no rule saying once you get to hospital you have to stay. If you want to go home, you just go home. If your waters haven't gone and baby is fine, there's no timer ticking down to when you have to have given birth. Some people are in labour stop-start for weeks.

Yes, most waters do break before birth, though like you said, some babies are born in caul. But most do break naturally and you absolutely don't need them to break to continue progressing, you will eventually. The one thing you might think of is just not coming into hospital so early. Find ways to manage the discomfort at home so you can stay home as long as possible because this will greatly increase the likelihood that your labour won't slow. You're more comfortable and relaxed at home usually. 4-5 cm is still fairly early on in labour for most people and you could be that way for days even, so if you otherwise feel fine, I'd ride it out as long as you can at home before you come in. Once you come in, stay upright and mobile, and keep the lights dim and ask to be disturbed as little as possible.

No, it probably wouldn't make any difference in terms of discomfort whether baby is born in caul or not, but it probably would make a difference in your comfort level to not have your waters broken, if that makes sense. The cervical exam to break the waters is pretty painful. I didn't have my waters broken in labour, but I did get one cervical check and it was THE most painful part of labour. I won't do it again! The discomfort and rush of stress hormones associated with having a cervical exam and waters broken can interrupt your oxytocin production, which means that you feel more pain after. It's not that what you're experiencing is more painful per se, but your body's natural painkillers get turned off. I found the 30 minutes or so after my cervical check the most painful part of labour and the most intense, simply because I didn't have enough oxytocin to control the pain. Also, since breaking the waters acts as a form of sort of natural induction, it's kind of like getting a jolt of induction meds, so your body suddenly starts to contract harder and more frequently than it would of naturally. So yes, it will likely be more painful, but I'm not sure that means that having a baby born in caul would be less painful. My waters broke at the start and I didn't find labour all that painful, but the process of having them artificially broken can cause more pain.

Yes, fluid would be pushed out of babies lungs in any vaginal birth, not so much in a c-section, because it's the squeezing in the birth canal, not the contractions that do it, but they often do it manually after birth to prevent lung infections. But it doesn't matter if they are born in caul. Honestly, they probably aren't practice breathing while coming down the birth canal (I don't know, but I'm just assuming). If fluid is being pushed out, it can't also be going in, as there's only one entrance/exit to the lungs. But it doesn't matter because babies get all their oxygen through the cord. Babies born in caul just have that fluid pushed back out into the amniotic sac rather than on the floor or bed when they are born. They know not to actually take a breath after birth until they feel air on their face, which is why you can have a water birth and they don't breathe in water. They wait until they are out of an aqueous environment to breath.

I would say try not to worry. Every birth is different and what's happened before doesn't mean it will happen again. But if you can do things to encourage labour not slowing down, then that's a bonus too.

 

[jlw617]

I appreciate all the input and you have answered a lot of my questions, when they broke my waters, it wasn't painful (the actual breaking of it, the cervical exam I had with my first was awful but not with my second) I'd be worried about labor in gat home very long because I live a good way from the hospital and it's my 3rd, my second came in less than half the time my first did. Unfortunately there's a difference in culture, once you're in active duty labor, they want you to deliver that baby here in the U.S., meaning they are not going to be ok with you just leaving...I'm sure you could but they might refuse service at the hospital later on.

 

[greats]

My husband was born still in his waters, and his mother still says to this day that he was her easiest birth.

 

[MummyToAmberx]

How long did you stop at 4/5cm for?

Yes breaking waters is form of induction. Some hospital policies in uk now state they will not break waters if you arrive into hospital already in labour. I was told it causes extra pressure on babies head its 10x better for them to break when they are ready.

Have you considered a home birth? Least then going to/forth hospital would be less. No one to till you your not progressing just decline VEs

Waters dont always break due to pressure from contractions. It is totally a see on day.

None of my waters have broken mid labour. My 1st were broken for me at 10cm.
My second was when i was told they dont break them. They broke when her head crowned.
My third they broke on my 1st push before head crowned.

 

[jlw617]

How long did you stop at 4/5cm for?

Yes breaking waters is form of induction. Some hospital policies in uk now state they will not break waters if you arrive into hospital already in labour. I was told it causes extra pressure on babies head its 10x better for them to break when they are ready.

Have you considered a home birth? Least then going to/forth hospital would be less. No one to till you your not progressing just decline VEs

Waters dont always break due to pressure from contractions. It is totally a see on day.


None of my waters have broken mid labour. My 1st were broken for me at 10cm.
My second was when i was told they dont break them. They broke when her head crowned.
My third they broke on my 1st push before head crowned.

My progress stopped for about 3 hours before they asked me if I wanted them to break them, since I had no idea there was any risks or that it was even a form of induction, I said yes :/ I'm in the U.S., home births are not as common as in the UK and as much as I hate my mentality, I just feel safer at a hospital and highly doubt our insurance would cover the thousands of dollars it would cost for a home birth. Thanks for all the great info though, I feel better about declining it until they give me an ultimatum (break my waters or c-section)

 

[MummyToAmberx]

How long did you stop at 4/5cm for?

Yes breaking waters is form of induction. Some hospital policies in uk now state they will not break waters if you arrive into hospital already in labour. I was told it causes extra pressure on babies head its 10x better for them to break when they are ready.

Have you considered a home birth? Least then going to/forth hospital would be less. No one to till you your not progressing just decline VEs

Waters dont always break due to pressure from contractions. It is totally a see on day.


None of my waters have broken mid labour. My 1st were broken for me at 10cm.
My second was when i was told they dont break them. They broke when her head crowned.
My third they broke on my 1st push before head crowned.

My progress stopped for about 3 hours before they asked me if I wanted them to break them, since I had no idea there was any risks or that it was even a form of induction, I said yes :/ I'm in the U.S., home births are not as common as in the UK and as much as I hate my mentality, I just feel safer at a hospital and highly doubt our insurance would cover the thousands of dollars it would cost for a home birth. Thanks for all the great info though, I feel better about declining it until they give me an ultimatum (break my waters or c-section)

What were contractions like at that point? Steady going? Were you in a bed or active? Have you took/drank raspberry leaf tea with any of your babies?

Im no doc or midwife but 3hrs doesnt sound like long time.
For some women being in pool can help relax them so much and just helps aid dilation. Maybe something to keep in mind too?

I got in pool at 5cm i had my baby 27mins later.

 

[jlw617]

my contractions were actually easy before they broke my waters. I was very active making rounds around the hospital

no I hadn't thought about red raspberry leaf then but definitely will this time, 3 hours isn't a long time-I just didn't know better :/

I'm one of those weird ladies that hates being in the water while labour in but who knows maybe I'll try again this time around

Thanks!

 

[BunnyN]

Lots of hospitals expect you to progress 1cm an hr or they call it stalled labour and want to speed things up. That is a very strict standard and isn't really based on any real evidence. Lots of women just take a little longer to progress and it is generally best to let mother and baby progress at the rate that is right for them. Despite what they say speeding things up is generally more for the benefit of the doctor, not the mother or baby.

I had a HB with my first and progressed very slowly. After over 20 hrs of active labour and several hrs at 6cm the MW sugested breaking the waters (something she doesn't usually do). I said I wanted to wait longer and she was fine with that but after a couple more hrs and still at 6cm, actually I'd gone back to 5cm, (which I didn't even know was possible, lol) I agreed to having them broken. Actually my hind waters had broken quite a few hrs before and were slowly leaking but she said the waters infront of the baby's head were stopping the head from putting pressure on my cervix and helping labour progress. Things were still a little slow after that but did move forward so I think it was a good choice in my case which wasn't typical. Usually labour will progress fine on its own given a little longer, which is what happed with my second birth. That time the waters didn't go propperly until during pushing. Usually the waters do go on their own eventually. Earlier in labour they act like a cusion for the baby which makes contractions easier on the baby so ideally its best to leave the waters alone. Some hospitals still break the wates on a routine basis without reason.

 

[NDH]

How far are you from your hospital? Would it be an option to get a hotel room 5 mins or so from the hospital as soon as labour starts and labour there until you feel like you need to be in hospital? That was my plan with my second since we were 3 hours away so I could labour out of hospital for as long as possible free from threat of interventions etc.

I had one birth where waters broke spontaneously hours before lab our started and one where they broke as she was crowning (butting? She was breech and crowning isn't really appropriate for a butt first delivery ) but there were so many other differences between my labours I won't even try to figure out if intact waters hurt less.

I do think though that being born in the caul can lead to slightly more mucous as it can't empty out of their lungs as effectively when the waters are intact (less direct pressure on baby's chest for once with the sac cushioning them). But that is just based on remembering birth stories of caul babies that it was mentioned being a bit mucousy for a couple days. Same with breech babies I found too.
But still I don't think that's a valid reason to rupture membranes if they don't release in their own.