Waters breaking in TV & Film

[Alyssa Drough]

Why do TV shows and Films always show the waters breaking as the first sign of labour?!

There must be so many mis-informed people out there!!! Even me believing it before I started TTC and actually started reading up on the whole process properly!

 

[AP]

exactly - mine never broke with either of mine! (although I was terrified id get caught out somewhere like Sainsburys )

 

[melfy77]

Mine broke in the middle of the night, but nothing like you see in the movies...it was just a small trickle so I thought I had (again) wet myself But nope, went to L&D the following morning and was told I was leaking fluid!

 

[Becki_k1]

Mine broke 3am with no contractions beforehand and everything got soaked needed a new matress lol!! just like in the films so it can happen!!! X

 

[CormacksGirl]

Mine broke first @4am just a little trickle, but enough to make me think I'd peed myself!!!!x

 

[NaturalMomma]

Because TV film makers aren't birth professionals

With ds2 mine actually did break before labor, but it wasn't like in the movies. In TV it shows the water breaking and then it seems like they are in transition immediatly. But that's not how it really is. Mine broke while I was peeing and then suddle contractions started 2 hours later.

 

[Guppy051708]

because then it wouldn't be entertainment
but no, seriously, whatever sells, and that sells.
It doesn't make it any less annoying though. There are soooo many misinformed people as a result of uneducated television. I attribute most of the fear that women have about child birth to the media. It amazes me how petrified women that have never experienced one contraction in their life can be about such a natural process.

With that said, my water did break with both of my kids. With my first it was only a trickle. Nothing like in the movies. With my second though....if i wasn't laying in bed it would have been like a movie scene. It truly was a large powerful gush.

 

[Alyssa Drough]

It's always waters break, later on contractions start, then she's pushing, then there's a baby with a minimal amount of bodily fluids. And the women always on their back. And quite often as well no sign of an umbilical cord!!!

 

[melfy77]

It's always waters break, later on contractions start, then she's pushing, then there's a baby with a minimal amount of bodily fluids. And the women always on their back. And quite often as well no sign of an umbilical cord!!!

With DD I was given Oxytocin because contractions wouldn't even start, even almost 12 hours after the first trickle, because yes, I went back to bed at 2 am since I thought it was either urine or just normal discharge. I got suspicious when it happened again in the morning. So totally stress free

 

[LockandKey]

mine broke on the couch, and it was about 4 hours after labor had already started, and it definitely did not gush everywhere either, it was a slow continuous trickle every time we went over a bump on the way to the hospital

 

[JeepGirl]

Mine was kind of like the movies Water broke, contractions started right away and very strong. We left right away for the hospital and by the time we got there I was at 6cm.

They say less that 10% of labours start with the water breaking, but there seems to be a lot of people on this site who's waters going were their 1st sign of labour

 

[Banshee]

My labours would not have made good tv. Both times there was just the odd few pains to start with that made me wonder if labour was starting and both time's they had to break my waters at the hospital.
My community midwife told me you're much more likely to get a dramatic gush of fluid if your waters go when you're laying down coz if you're standing up the baby's head can act like a plug.

 

[MirandaH]

My second baby was induced but with my first and third, my waters broke and contractions never stared, so it was on to the dreaded petocin.

 

[AllieM]

Mine broke 3am with no contractions beforehand and everything got soaked needed a new matress lol!! just like in the films so it can happen!!! X

Same with mine! It was such an enormous gush thar it filled my shoes! Unfortunately it happened at work!

 

[Missy08]

AllieM,

That's what I was looking for (posts about peoples' waters breaking at work). With my daughter I didn't have a large gush really, although, there was a significant amount and it just kept coming out. I had to have a towel wrapped around my waist from the time it happened all the way to the hospital. Now I'm worried with this one my water will break at work...I keep thinking how awkward this would be!

 

[chulie]

Mine didn't break at all. In fact my mom even said with all 3 of us her water refused to break and as soon as the dr's broke her water, we were all born within the hour. So at the hospital I asked my dr if my water had not broken by a certain time to break it and sure enough my daughter was born 2 hours later. But ya...really nothing like the movies at all!

 

[tinkerbelle93]

Lol one thing I have learnt is that childbirth in general is NOTHING like how it's depicted in films/telly! xx

 

[goddess25]

With DS mine broke as I was about 10cm dilated and it was a massive gush onto floor, With DD they never broke and she was born in the sack.

 

[we can't wait]

My water didn't break before or during labor. LO game out with the waters, which I've heard is actually good luck.

 

[Sprite2011]

My waters broke in a big gush in the middle of the night was just like something out of a film!! So pleased they went then and not when I was out and about! Baby came nearly 4 weeks early so was even more of a shock! I had had no labour signs at all buba was breech so had emergency section but not till I had been in labour for a few hours as contractions weren't that strong