Did My Water Break??

You’ve seen the TV and movie scenes where a very pregnant woman has her water break in a spectacular fashion! It looks so obvious! While it does sometimes happen that way, most of the time it is a little more subtle and a little tricky to identify. This is particularly tricky if you aren’t yet having contractions. Read on to find out a few things to try to find out if you really are leaking amniotic fluid.

Late pregnancy can be a very, umm..juicy..time. Your body really kicks up the production of vaginal discharge. You have to pee all the time and-let’s be honest-you don’t always maybe make it in time before a bit comes out. Of course, if you are in the final couple of weeks, days, or hours before your due date (or after) you also might think your water is breaking. With all these things going on as possibilities we have a few suggestions for you to see if it really is your water breaking.

First, we suggest you put on a pad (use one of your postpartum pads if you don’t have any other pads to use). Go lay down for 30 minutes. When you get up, any pooled liquid will run out onto the pad. Go to the bathroom and check out the pad. Does it seem wet? What does it smell like? Amniotic fluid usually smells a little sweet and a little earthy. It doesn’t smell like pee or discharge. If you see fluid on your pad and it smells like amniotic fluid, also take note of the color. It should be clear (a little tinged with pink is OK). If it is yellow (darker than pale urine), green, brown, or bright red, call your care provider right away. They will likely want you to go to the hospital for some fetal monitoring.

Another way to check if your water is breaking is to sit on the toilet and try to pee. If you think you are done peeing, but liquid keeps coming out of you, it is likely that your amniotic sac has ruptured (water has broken).

One of the most official ways to check if your water has broken is to go to your hospital’s labor and delivery unit and ask for them to test the liquid to see if it is amniotic fluid. If you choose this route, be sure to wear a pad or some disposable, absorbent underwear like Depends to help keep you dry and comfortbale on the drive to the hospital. If your water has broken, you will keep leaking amniotic fluid until your baby is born. Once you see a care provider they will first take a strip of litmus paper to test the pH of the fluid. If the paper turns dark blue, it is likely that the fluid is amniotic fluid. If your provider wants to take things a step further, they can use fern-type crystallization. This involved looking at a sample of your fluid under a microscope to see the fluid crystallizing in a linear fashion (ferning). This testing is the most accurate way to identify the presence of amniotic fluid.

Once you’ve determined that you think your water may have broken, call your care provider and let them know. They may ask you about the color, odor, amount, and what time you think it broke. They will also give you further instructions about when they want you to come to the hospital.

Using the steps above, you should be able to determine if you water has broken. If it has, most folks go into labor within a few hours after their water breaks. In that case, we wish you a peaceful and joy-filled birth!