Amniotic fluid has been the natural environment for your baby for all 9 months, but the time has come for the baby to be born, and many mothers are very concerned about the question of how the waters leave, if they miss this moment. Particularly fearful and those who give birth for the first time, in a panic, ask more experienced mothers if this hurts.
It’s simply impossible not to notice such an important point, unless, of course, the waters have really drifted away, rather than leaking quietly. But first things first.
How does water flow during pregnancy?
When the time comes, the baby presses the head against the wall of the bubble, after which the latter bursts and amniotic fluid flows out. The birth process is considered to be running, and before the birth of the baby there is a matter of time.
In theory, the bubble should burst itself, but in practice, sometimes you have to pierce it. More details about the indications for such manipulations, about the need and possible risks will be written in the article below.
How to understand that the waters have departed?
Ideally, the normal discharge of water occurs according to the following scenario: with the intensification of contractions before the discharge of water, a woman hears cotton, after which a lot of liquid immediately flows out of it. The volume can vary from 100 to 300 ml. In this case, the liquid flows out in a stream or stream, and this is comparable to urinary incontinence, when nothing depends on you.
But in reality, things can go very differently. It so happens that the waters depart without any prerequisites. Even if contractions begin after that, they will be weak and less productive, since the cervix is not yet ready. In this case, you must urgently call an ambulance and go to the maternity hospital. Most likely, the doctor will prescribe the stimulation of contractions to open the cervix.
How long does the fight begin?
Before the water leaves, pregnant women must have strong contractions, but in 10% of future mothers this happens before the contractions begin. This condition is not very good in view of the fact that there is a threat of infection. With premature discharge of water and a long stay of the fetus in this state, doctors administer antibacterial agents to the pregnant woman.
There is such a thing as an early outpouring. In this case, before the water leaves, contractions nevertheless appear, but they are still very weak, and the cervix did not have enough time to prepare. The pharynx is 4 cm or less.
Timely departure is an ideal variant of the course of circumstances. The bubble bursts and water pours out as soon as the opening of the pharynx becomes more than 4 cm. Painful and prolonged contractions.
The case when an outflow occurs at the time of the full opening of the neck or water depart in pregnant women before the very birth, as you know, infrequent, but quite possible. In this case, we are talking about a late outpouring.
As a result, water can flow both before and after labor. Timely outflow of water provokes increased contractions and accelerates the opening of the cervix.
Amniotic fluid
Each pregnancy is individual, but there are norms by which doctors determine the degree of threat to the condition of a pregnant woman. It is believed that with a positive course of pregnancy, the amount of amniotic fluid should be 1-2 liters.
As a rule, at the last ultrasound examination, a specialist checks the amount of water and can be diagnosed with polyhydramnios or oligohydramnios. Both conditions are fraught with complications and require inpatient treatment. If you are concerned about the question “how do the waters leave before childbirth?”, Know: they never flow out completely. First, about 300 ml of liquid leaves, and the rest goes directly with the child.
We look at the color of the waters
We figured out how water flows from pregnant women, now let's talk about the color of the liquid. Under whatever conditions the discharge of water occurs, the pregnant woman should first pay attention to the color, this information is extremely important for the doctor. So:
Yellow Waters. Of course, normal amniotic fluid should be colorless, but yellowness is considered as a variant of the norm. You should not panic very much, but you still have to hurry, because after the water leaves, you will have a few hours before the start of labor.
Green waters are already serious. The reason for this color may be low water, which is fraught with hypoxia of the fetus, that is, the baby will have oxygen starvation. Another reason - the child managed to empty the intestines, which is also very dangerous. If the baby swallows meconium, pneumonia may develop.
Water with blood. If you notice small streaks of blood with a normal liquid color, this should not scare you. The fact is that before the pregnant women leave the water before delivery, the neck opens and small discharge is possible. It is a completely different matter if there is a lot of blood in the liquid, in this case placental abruption is possible and immediate hospitalization is required.
Water leakage
There are times when the water does not leave at once, but just leaks. This happens for two reasons: if the bubble bursts along the side seam and if the bubble does not burst, it just bursts. It’s very difficult to figure out whether it is water, urinary incontinence or discharge.
So how do you know if the water has moved? Everything is very simple. At any pharmacy, you can buy an amniotest to determine the nature of the fluid flowing out at home. This test is a strip that looks like daily pads. Using such a test is very convenient, it gives a 100% result.
If you don’t have a test at hand or if you couldn’t find it in a pharmacy, then in this case you can try the following: wash yourself after the toilet and wipe it dry. Next, lie down on a white sheet and rest for an hour and a half. If a wet spot appears on the sheet, then the water is leaking.
What to do, how to behave?
It is very useful to know how the water flows from pregnant women before childbirth, because very often this happens at home or on the road, and the expectant mother and her relatives have to take emergency measures.
What to do:
Call an ambulance and state the essence of the problem.
Change clothes and change underwear.
In no case do you need to wash yourself, because there is a threat of infection.
If blood is present in the waters, be sure to lie down and not move.
If everything is normal with the waters, you can carefully prepare to go to the hospital.
Try to calm down. It remains just a little bit, and you will soon meet with your baby.
Medical intervention
In those cases when contractions intensify, the neck opens, but the bubble does not burst, the doctor can pierce it on his own. The procedure is painless and almost harmless for the baby and mother. Since amniotomy is a medical intervention, indications are necessary for its implementation:
A very dense bladder that does not burst even when the cervix is fully open.
Long and weak contractions. If labor is prolonged, the doctor may pierce the bladder to accelerate the opening of the neck. In addition, some drugs can not be administered with a full bladder, for example, oxytocin.
They pierce the bubble if more than 40 weeks have passed, and the process has not yet begun.
Low placentation.
Rhesus conflict.
Polyhydramnios or flat bubble.
The bubble is pierced with a long hook, the procedure is painless, since there are no nerve endings in the same place. The puncture is carried out on a gynecological chair or on a couch.
Now you know how the water goes before birth. The most important rule is to stay calm and tune in to a successful completion of affairs.