What to do if your water breaks at home

The breaking of amniotic fluid is an important sign that the baby is about to be born. If the amniotic fluid breaks at home, you must go to the hospital immediately and prepare for delivery. As a pregnant woman, you must understand what is broken water, because in the late pregnancy, pregnant women are prone to urinary incontinence. The symptoms of urinary incontinence and broken water are somewhat similar, but their differences are also quite large. Let's find out what to do if the water breaks at home?

What to do if your water breaks at home

The breaking of amniotic fluid is an important sign that the baby is about to be born. Because the fetus is prone to hypoxia after the water breaks, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible to prepare for delivery. If the amniotic fluid is found to be sufficient and clear, the baby can survive until birth; but if the amniotic fluid is insufficient and turbid, it means that the fetus is suffering from hypoxia and requires immediate surgery.

1. Seek medical attention promptly. No matter when you feel your water breaking, you should go to the hospital for a check-up to confirm whether it is your water breaking.

2. Lie down and rest. If you find symptoms of water breaking, it is best to lie down and rest, and do not get up and move around. To avoid excessive amniotic fluid loss and umbilical cord prolapse, you can use a cushion to raise your buttocks.

3. Don’t take a shower. Do not put anything in your vagina (do not do a pelvic exam), do not have sexual intercourse, stay clean, drink plenty of water, and take your temperature twice a day.

4. Pay attention to inspection. Tell your doctor if you have brown or green tarry material (meconium) coming out of your vagina, because this may be caused by the fetus's intestines being squeezed, which often means that the fetus is under pressure or in danger.

What does it feel like when your water breaks?

After the amniotic fluid breaks, the expectant mother can feel liquid flowing out of the vagina. Careful observation can reveal that the liquid is colorless and transparent, and the amount is larger than secretions, like water.

In addition, you can also feel that the outflow of liquid is uncontrolled. When the amount is large, it will feel warm; when the amount is small, it may feel a little wet, like urination, and it will flow out continuously, and even the pregnant woman cannot control it by contracting her vagina.

It is normal for amniotic fluid to break before delivery, and the incidence rate accounts for about 6%-12% of the total births. The breaking of amniotic fluid often causes symptoms such as premature birth, fetal hypoxia, and fetal infection. Therefore, when you feel the water breaking, it is best to go to the hospital as soon as possible to prepare for delivery.