We are attentive to all the signs because the time of delivery is approaching. We have reached week 38 and we know that the rupture of the amniotic sac is an unequivocal sign that labor contractions will begin and the baby will soon be born. But, How to know if I have broken waters? Can it be confused with urine leaks? It hurt?
We tell you how to recognize the breakage of water (or rupture of the source), which does not always occur, in fact some babies are born with the amniotic sac intact. But sometimes the membranes break before a woman goes into labor and most women will go into labor spontaneously after 24 hours.
If the water rupture occurs before the 37th week of pregnancy, it is called premature rupture of preterm membranes and in this case you must go to the emergency room immediately, as it can be serious for the mother and the baby because it is not mature for birth. In the case of overcoming that week, the break is normal and all we have to do is monitor that the loss is normal and prepare to go to the hospital.
The name "breaking waters" comes from the loss of fluid that occurs when the amniotic sac is broken, although it is not water but amniotic fluid, a liquid fluid that surrounds and dampens the developing fetus inside the amniotic sac and that is formed by proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and phospholipids, urea and electrolytes.
When the water breaks, the membrane tears, leaving the liquid inside. Nothing hurts and usually what you notice is a trickle of fluid that runs through the legs, so some women may mistake it for leaking urine. Other times women feel the liquid squirt. In this case, the breakage is clear.
It usually happens that if the future mother stands up or sits down, the baby's head blocks the outflow of fluid, acting as a plug, if the break has occurred near the cervix. But if the break is higher, the drip will be more abundant in these positions.
Let's see how to differentiate water breakage from incontinence and when it would be necessary to go to the hospital urgently.
Water breakage vs. urine leakage
Since urinary incontinence in pregnancy is so frequent, it is likely that before a trickle of hot liquid that seeps slowly and runs through the legs many women think that it is urine. But there are ways to differentiate it.
Use a compress or a white towel to soak the liquid. Observe it and smell it: the amniotic fluid usually has no color (the urine will be somewhat yellowish) and does not smell like urine (it has a much sweeter smell, not ammonia).
Perform Kegel exercises: keeping the muscle at the base of the pelvis tight, rina's escape should stop. On the other hand, if it does not stop dripping, we will be facing a rupture of membranes.
If you detect that the loss is not urine, look at the color of the amniotic fluid. If this is transparent, we can take maternity leave with relative calm. On the other hand, if the color is green, yellowish or has blood, you should go to the hospital immediately in case the baby has a problem.
It is quite unlikely that the liquid shows remains of meconium (the first feces of the baby, coming from his digestive tract), since the passage of meconium to the amniotic fluid occurs between five and 20% of all births, especially in those that occur out of date, when there is placental insufficiency, maternal hypertension, preeclampsia or drug abuse ... A sign that there is meconium in the waters is that they are dyed a greenish, yellowish or dark color.
If the pregnancy has passed 37 weeks and the fluids are normal, the baby is ready to be born and it will be usual to go into labor soon, between 12 and 24 hours. Use a large compress or towel to soak the liquid and prepare the bag to go to the hospital (if you had not prepared it before). The longer it takes to start labor, the greater the chance of getting an infection. Therefore, in the hospital, if contractions do not begin, they may decide to induce them through the administration of oxytocin.
Recall that, in the case of not breaking waters spontaneously, in some cases, already in the hospital and with the due date of delivery, the artificial rupture is performed, but this is not recommended routinely, since it has not been shown that Accelerate significantly in childbirth.
We hope that with this data Be prepared to differentiate when you have broken waters. But remember that water breakage is not necessary for the start of labor: there are other changes that indicate that the baby's birth time is approaching and, above all, true birth contractions that warn us that the baby will begin to descend through the birth canal as soon as possible.
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In Babies and more | What happens if I don't give birth? What happens if I break water in public? Labor contractions and a broken bag
