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1. Spontaneous Rupture of Membranes (SROM)
Commonly known as the ‘breaking of the waters’, this happens when the amniotic sac (which surrounds the baby) ruptures, resulting in amniotic fluid trickling or gushing from your vagina. This happens as the first sign of labour in around 15-25% of labours, so it’s not as common as the TV soap operas would have you believe. You may notice a smaller gush of waters or sometimes it may be an enormous flood. Some women also notice a ‘popping’ sensation as their waters break.
Amniotic fluid can leak for days and even after the waters have broken, the fluid will still be replenished. If you suspect you have broken your waters, pop a pad on (do not use tampons) and call your midwife or labour ward who will ask a few questions to help distinguish what has happened. Sometimes it may be a bladder leak – don’t feel embarrassed if this is the case, as it’s quite common in the latter stages of pregnancy.
Some indicators that your waters that have broken are:
* Having no control over the flow
* A panty liner is inadequate to absorb the fluid
* The pad is wet more than once, and
* It doesn’t smell like urine
Some women describe their waters smelling a bit like ‘semen,’ so if you do notice a smell, mention this to the midwife. Your waters should be clear or may have a pink tinge to them. If they are green, brown or any other colour you should get checked out by your doctor or midwife.
Waters usually break during the night, some wake to their waters breaking and some wake to go to the toilet and find their water breaks as they get up. It can happen other times also.
