When my water breaks - how long before I give birth? This question worries probably every woman who is soon expecting the birth of her long-awaited baby. However, no gynecologist can give an unambiguous answer to this question, since the process of labor is a purely individual process for each woman in labor. In order for everything to go well, you need to know what to do when amniotic fluid breaks, and when after this you should expect the first harbingers of the oncoming labor.

How to behave after the end of the OB?

What to do after the rupture of amniotic fluid? First of all, there is no need to panic - this is a physiological process that is one of the main ones. Now let's talk about what exactly needs to be done if the OBs move away.

If your water breaks, it's time to go to the hospital

1. Remember, or better yet, write down in a notepad the exact time the OB is released. Then be sure to tell your gynecologist or nurse.
2. Pay close attention to the color of the liquid. To prevent it from changing color, a week before giving birth, avoid dark underwear and bed linen - such actions will help you accurately determine the color of the OB.
3. What should the broken water be like? Normally, they should not have any tint, that is, be completely transparent. If you notice an admixture of white flakes in the amniotic fluid, do not worry, this is normal.
4. The greenish color of the OB indicates that literally in 6 hours the patient will give birth to the long-awaited baby.
5. The amount of amniotic fluid is another important factor. It can be used to determine after what period of time labor will begin. The waters can be “frontal”, the volume of which does not exceed 300 ml, and real amniotic fluid (1.5 - 2 liters).

Helpful advice. If you don't know how to determine which waters have broken, you can practice a little before your due date. You can do this as follows: pour a glass of water on the inner thigh. Remember your feelings, then pour one and a half to two liters of liquid onto the same part of the body. By doing this for at least a week, you will soon learn to distinguish between “front” waters and amniotic fluid.

After the effusion of amniotic fluid, it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance, especially if there was a lot of water. With a small number of them, you have a couple of hours left, but you should go to the hospital as soon as possible.

Is the passage of the mucus plug a signal that labor is about to begin?

A mucus plug is a clot of mucus streaked with blood. It performs an important function - it protects the uterine cavity from infection. Thus, throughout the entire period of intrauterine development, the fetus is completely safe.

It is not always a harbinger of impending birth. Many women mistakenly believe that it does not go away at all before the onset of labor. The fact is that it can come off gradually, in veins, and not all at once in a lump. The process can begin long before the opening of the cervix and the passage of the ovary. For each pregnant woman, this depends on the characteristics of the body and the course of pregnancy.

Mucus plug during pregnancy

Important! If you notice frequent bloody or mucous discharge in your underwear, consult your doctor immediately. This may be evidence not of the removal of the protective plug, but of the addition of an infection. This condition requires immediate medical intervention!

What sensations occur when the plug comes out?

The passage of a mucous clot can be accompanied by quite unpleasant and painful sensations. However, it all depends on how acutely the expectant mother’s body reacts to pain.

For one woman, the process of removing the plug can be very painful and accompanied by discomfort in the lumbar region. For another mom, this may happen unnoticed, for example, while taking a bath, shower, swimming in the pool, or visiting the restroom.

After the mucous plug comes away, it begins to gradually soften. The same thing happens with the birth canal. Due to this, the fetus can move freely along them, and with minimal risk to the mother’s health.

One of the most frequently asked questions about this is whether it is true that after the protective plug comes off, a baby appears immediately? And is it possible to speed up this process?

In this case, doctors give useful advice: do not try to speed up labor on your own - everything should happen gradually, and only naturally. Any intervention in the birth process can lead to life-threatening consequences for both the mother herself and her unborn baby.

To understand when labor begins after the plug is removed, you need to pay attention to some nuances:

• color and consistency of mucus;
• prolapse of the abdomen (if any);
• the presence of contractions, not false, but real;
• increased urge to defecate.

All these factors signal that you will meet your little miracle pretty soon, and you must be prepared for this moment.

OB discharge - how does this happen, and what to do in this case?

If the expectant mother's amniotic fluid breaks, this means that the time has come and the baby is ready to be born. But sometimes it happens that the outpouring of amniotic fluid occurs prematurely, when the due date of labor is not yet coming soon. Such an anomaly occurs in the presence of certain abnormalities, so medical intervention is mandatory.

Any strange discharge during pregnancy should be reported to your doctor immediately

The fact is that the discharge of fetal fluid should always end with labor, since the baby cannot remain in a dry, unprotected environment for a long time. It is also not uncommon for cases when amniotic fluid leaks out little by little. This happens gradually and can last for several weeks and sometimes even months.

If leakage of amniotic fluid began long before the planned date of delivery, then such an anomaly should be reported to the gynecologist. He will take the necessary measures, since a decrease in the volume of amniotic fluid can lead to quite serious and dangerous consequences, including hypoxia or even fetal death.

Remember! Anything, no matter how small, that causes you suspicion and concern, must be reported to your doctor. Especially if they are greenish, brownish or brown in color.

What to do when the OB passes?

So what to do if the amniotic fluid is completely leaked? First of all, you need to urgently go to the maternity hospital, and here's why:

• the doctor must determine how wide the cervix has opened and constantly record this process;
• sometimes the outpouring of fetal fluid is not accompanied by contractions, so the expectant mother may not understand that the long-awaited “X” moment is already close;
• in some situations, the umbilical cord loops may also fall out along with the AF, and this is a serious threat to the child’s life.

As you can see, the sooner you go to the maternity hospital after your water breaks, the safer your baby and you will be.

When to give birth if your water breaks?

So, when should you give birth if your water breaks? First of all, you need to pay attention to the peculiarities of contractions. Quite often they begin when the amniotic fluid bubble has already burst and it has completely leaked out.

During the anhydrous period, discomfort for the fetus inside the reproductive organ begins to increase, so the process of childbirth should occur no more than half a day after the discharge of the amniotic fluid. If it becomes obvious that labor will not begin so soon, the doctor will be forced to resort to an extreme measure - artificial stimulation of labor.

Important! If you, while at home at the moment of spontaneous opening of a bladder with water, notice blood in the liquid, immediately call an ambulance! Just first make sure that it was really blood and not a mucus plug.

Dangerous situation in early pregnancy

It happens that agents are poured out at 22 weeks. This condition is extremely dangerous and requires immediate medical intervention. Otherwise, the woman may have a miscarriage.

If the waters pour out after 22 weeks, then the expectant mother has every chance to continue the pregnancy or give birth to a completely healthy baby. Of course, such babies are born premature and very weak, but modern doctors can deliver such a baby, giving him a chance for a healthy life.

Water breaking without contractions - is this normal?

A doctor's examination will help determine the time of labor after your waters break.

If your amniotic fluid has broken and contractions have not yet begun, this is not a reason to panic. The body of each expectant mother is individual, so it is impossible to say exactly how childbirth will take place in each specific case.

Gradual leakage of amniotic fluid may also occur. In this case, it will last for several days, and the safest period of time for a water-free period is only 6 hours. It is allowed to deviate upward, but it should last no more than a day. If during this time the baby is not born, this can lead to serious complications and adverse consequences for the health of the baby.

In such a situation, the patient is also indicated for drug stimulation of labor. Often, special tablets that soften the cervix are used for this purpose. After using them, labor should begin within half a day, maximum within 24 hours.

If there is no effect from medications that cause contractions, the expectant mother undergoes an emergency caesarean section. Only in this way will it be possible to avoid the adverse consequences for the child that threaten a long anhydrous period.

Interesting fact. For women who are about to give birth for the first time, the interval between the periods when the water breaks and the onset of labor ranges from 12 to 20 hours. With the repeated process of labor, this interval is reduced several times.

In order not to miss an important moment, you must monitor your condition even before the agent bubble bursts. should put you in full “combat readiness” and force you to pack your bag for the maternity hospital, because just a little bit - and you will meet your long-awaited and so beloved baby!

The rupture of amniotic fluid is a natural process, one of the clear harbingers of childbirth. However, for many who are pregnant for the first time, this frightens and leaves them confused. Meanwhile, if the amniotic fluid is leaked at 38-42 weeks, then it’s okay - it’s just time to give birth, and literally in a few hours. And if your water breaks earlier, this is a serious cause for concern. In any case, you need to go to the maternity hospital as soon as possible.

Physiology of the process

A pregnant woman is very sensitive to any changes occurring in her body, especially when it comes to her first pregnancy. But there are so many new and incomprehensible things. Therefore, to clarify, let’s figure out what amniotic fluid is, why it pours out, how much of it should come out and when this should happen normally.

The child in the womb is in an aqueous environment - amniotic fluid, which, in turn, is enclosed in a bladder located in the uterus.

Before birth, the cervix begins to open. As it opens, there comes a moment when the bubble bursts and some of the water pours out.

The water that pours out at first is about 1 glass in volume. This is far from the full volume of water contained in the bubble. Total amniotic fluid is about 1.5 liters. How much comes out at first is only a small part, due to the fact that during effusion, the baby moves lower and covers the partially open cervix with its head, thereby preventing further effusion.

It happens that the amniotic fluid does not flow out until the cervix is ​​completely open and pushing begins. In this case, the obstetrician pierces the bladder, allows the waters to come out, and the fetus begins its movement along the birth canal.

It also happens the other way around - the water breaks, but labor has not begun for some time.

In this case, two options are possible:

• The cervix has not yet begun to open.
• The cervix is ​​already dilating, labor is underway, the woman just doesn’t feel it. This option is extremely rare, but it does happen.

Main features

Normally, water should be colorless and practically odorless. Therefore, the first thing you need to pay attention to is the color and smell. If the color is greenish, this is a very bad sign, signaling that you need to go to the maternity hospital as soon as possible. A green tint indicates that fetal feces have entered the water, which in turn signals its hypoxia (oxygen starvation). This is a very dangerous condition for a child's life.

Pink or brownish color does not signal danger, but you still need to hurry to the hospital.

Finally, clear waters indicate that the fetus is fine, labor, if it has not yet begun, will begin soon, which means you can already get ready for the maternity hospital.

There is this advice for pregnant women: in the second and third trimester it is better to wear white underwear and sleep on light-colored sheets. This will make it easier to determine what color the liquid is leaking.

Sometimes the water does not pour out all at once, but leaks a little at a time. Then it is not clear what kind of liquid this is, perhaps it is urine, since pregnant women sometimes experience involuntary release of urine due to pressure from the fetal head on the bladder. In this case, you need to wet a napkin with the liquid that is pouring out and determine its nature by the smell.

In any case, you need to go to the doctor to make sure exactly what kind of fluid is leaking and how long it will take to give birth.

What to do?

Depending on the stage of pregnancy, it becomes clear how urgently you need to go to the maternity hospital, but you must go there unless you have plans to give birth at home. If your water breaks at 38-42 weeks, then after 2-3 hours you can calmly get ready and drive to the hospital.

This is provided that the outflow occurred in a volume of about 250 ml. How can you tell how much water has spilled? Sometimes, during special training for pregnant women, they suggest conducting a small experiment to determine the amount of water. You need to prepare a cup of warm water, stand in the bath and pour it out so that all the liquid flows from the crotch down the legs. You need to remember this feeling. Repeat if necessary. When the water actually breaks, it will be easier to determine its volume.

If more fluid has passed, then again urgently go to the hospital - it is necessary to exclude the possibility of fetal hypoxia.

During labor, doctors monitor the baby's condition and, if his life is in danger, decide to perform a caesarean section. If the amniotic fluid has passed before 22 weeks, there is a very high risk that a miscarriage will occur. After 22 weeks, modern medicine can save the child, and then it will be a premature birth.

But sometimes it is possible to stabilize the pregnant woman’s condition and stop labor ahead of schedule. In this case, drugs are administered that protect the fetus from infection due to partially broken water.

If the period is about 28-32 weeks, then doctors, after assessing the condition of the mother and fetus, can decide to carry out childbirth. And at a period of more than 32 weeks, most often the matter ends through delivery.

Start of the process

When the time has come to give birth, the cervix is ​​ready to open, then contractions will begin approximately 2-3 hours after the water breaks. If this is the first pregnancy, then the cervix will open slowly; the first stage of labor, when contractions occur, can last 8-15 hours, and sometimes even more.

It turns out that if the water breaks, labor will occur in 10-20 hours. During the second and subsequent births, the cervix opens faster - after 4-7 hours the woman can already give birth.

It happens that the water has broken, but the cervix is ​​not ready yet - the opening does not occur. Then doctors stimulate labor using special drugs. Then the condition of the pregnant woman and the fetus is monitored.

If labor does not begin for a long time or occurs but very weakly, then the need for delivery by cesarean section is determined.

A woman can be in a state of uncertainty for quite a long time when the amniotic fluid has drained and labor does not begin. It may take several hours. Upon arrival at the maternity hospital, you need to inform how much time has passed since the outpouring of water. Doctors will monitor the condition of the mother and fetus. The work of his heart is monitored, through which it will be clear whether hypoxia or other dangerous conditions are occurring.

Of course, doctors do not just insistently recommend going to the maternity hospital immediately. There are too many situations where the outcome is unclear. It is not known in advance how the body of a pregnant woman will behave. But doctors have one task - to preserve the life and health of mother and child.

In the third trimester of pregnancy, the expectant mother is worried about the question - How long will it take for contractions to start if your water breaks?. The closer the birth is, the more worried the woman is. I would like to take into account the slightest nuances so that the time of meeting with the newborn is not overshadowed by any disappointments.

When will contractions start after your water breaks?

The fetus floats in amniotic fluid enclosed in a bladder. When the wall of the shell breaks, water begins to pour out. It does not hurt, because the amniotic sac does not have nerve endings. There is about one and a half liters of fetal fluid in the amniotic membrane. The amount of fluid leaking may vary depending on the location of the rupture of the membranes:

1. If the bubble has completely ruptured, the amount of liquid flowing out is 100-150 ml.
2. If the gap is small and high enough, fetal fluid can drip drop by drop for a long time.

Contractions can begin both before the water breaks and after. Depending on the dilatation of the cervix, there are:

1. premature effusion- labor has not yet begun. Contractions occur within 3-4 hours;
2. early effusion- the cervix has dilated to 4 cm, labor has begun;
3. timely outpouring- the cervix has dilated to 5-6 cm;
4. belated outpouring- the cervix is ​​fully dilated, but the water does not break. In this case, the amniotic sac is pierced with medical instruments or torn with fingers.

Future mothers are afraid to confuse the discharge of amniotic fluid with urination. If they come off abundantly, it is quite difficult to confuse them. But if they drip drop by drop, a special gasket in the form of a gasket will help to determine the leakage of amniotic fluid. If it does not change color after use, then the liquid being tested is urine or vaginal discharge. If it changes color, your water is breaking. Contact your gynecologist immediately.

What to do if your water breaks but contractions don’t start?

More often than not, the water breaks when contractions have already begun. But one woman in ten experiences premature rupture. Most often, contractions in this case begin after 3-4 hours. But sometimes labor does not occur. In this case, the doctor decides to stimulate labor using the hormone oxytocin, which stimulates uterine contractions.

It is believed that Absence of labor for up to 12 hours does not require stimulation. But the obstetrician-gynecologist monitors the condition of the mother and fetus. If the fetal heartbeat slows down or the mother’s health deteriorates sharply (blood pressure rises, tremors begin), the decision to stimulate may be made earlier. If oxytocin does not cause contractions, a caesarean section is performed.

remember, that amniotic fluid should be clear or slightly pink, odorless. If they are green, red or brownish-brown in color, this is a reason to urgently notify your obstetrician-gynecologist and go to the maternity hospital. Green water may indicate infection or meconium (fetal stool) leakage. Red and brown-brown - about intrauterine bleeding. To avoid risk, delivery is carried out as soon as possible. In emergency cases, a caesarean section is used.

My water broke, when is the due date, how much time do I still have? Childbirth is an individual process. The onset of labor can proceed according to the classic scenario with regular contractions and decreasing intervals between them. However, there are often cases when labor begins with the breaking of water against the background of complete health. It is very important for any pregnant woman preparing for the birth of her baby to know what to do if this happens.

First of all, you need to remember: if a pregnant woman’s water breaks, this always means the beginning of labor. Traditional medicine allows the fetus to remain in an anhydrous period for up to 12 hours (provided the waters are clear) without harm to the baby’s health.

What should you do if your water breaks? Approximately how long before you give birth? The most important thing is not to panic. You have been walking towards this date for nine long months, think that soon you will hold a tiny person, your little son or daughter, in your arms.

Now about specific actions.
1. Remember the time at which the pregnant woman’s water broke, that is, you, so that you can report it to the nurse in the emergency department and the doctor who is delivering your baby.

2. A very important characteristic of waters is their color. Try not to wear dark or colored underwear in the last weeks of pregnancy, and sleep on light-colored sheets. This will allow you to determine the color of the waters with a high degree of probability.
Normally, the water should be clear, the presence of whitish flakes is allowed. If the waters are greenish, you need to hurry; the permissible water-free period in this case is reduced to six hours.

3. When you suddenly find yourself in wet pants, it can be quite difficult to concentrate, but try to determine one more important thing: the amount of water that has broken. This does not mean that you need to measure their amount in milliliters, you must understand whether all the waters have broken, or only the “front” ones. The total volume of amniotic fluid is about one and a half to two liters, the anterior fluid is 250-300 ml of liquid (about a glass). If you doubt your ability to determine this, practice in advance - pour a glass of water and two liters on your feet and remember the sensations.

When all the amniotic fluid has broken, you will need to stand in the so-called “knee-elbow” position for 15 minutes to prevent a possible complication - prolapse and pinching of the umbilical cord. Of course, you should do this while waiting for an ambulance, or in the back seat of a car taking you to the nearest maternity hospital. If a small amount of clear water has broken, you don’t have to be in a hurry, you have a couple of hours, but if there is a lot of water, and, moreover, it is green, this is a reason to urgently (within an hour and a half) arrive at the maternity hospital.
This is exactly the case when you should hurry: instead of the pre-selected maternity hospital on the other side of the city, you should go to the nearest one. And if you are “lucky” and your water breaks during rush hour, or there is traffic jam on the way to the maternity hospital, feel free to contact any traffic police officer, they are obliged to provide you with quick passage to the maternity hospital using special means.

2 Sep 0 2671

Natalya Tomilina, doula, psychologist, body therapist: First you need to delve a little into anatomy. There is a uterus, in the uterus there is a bladder, in it there is a child, an umbilical cord, a placenta on one side (and the other side it is attached to the wall of the uterus) and amniotic fluid. There is usually quite a lot of water, and the baby on the eve of birth is large and occupies almost the entire space of the uterus. His head (or butt) is down and inserted into the pelvis.

Next, about two situations of water breaking, the difference between breaking and leaking, what risks are there from the point of view of doctors, are they justified, what increases and decreases them, what you need to pay attention to, what factors to monitor, what protocols are adopted in Russian maternity hospitals, in maternity hospitals other countries, in home births.

So. Blister rupture can happen in different ways

1. The integrity is broken below, where the cervix and the baby’s head are, usually in this case about half a glass of water is poured out, because of this the head drops lower, and it can be compared to a stopper that was used to plug a bathtub so that the water does not leak out. We will call this option the departure of the anterior (that is, located between the baby’s head and the woman’s cervix) waters. You need to know that on top of the abdomen, where the baby’s belly and arms are, there remains a fair amount of water, the so-called back ones, that is, as a rule, they do not flow out completely, there is a lot of them left. And you need to know that every three to four hours new portions of water are produced by the mother’s body.
If a woman changes her body position a lot (stands up, lies down, turns over, stands up again, sits down), then the water will flow out. If you take one position, they may stop flowing completely, because the head will be pressed tightly against the pelvis.

What risks does medicine tell us about?

I'll start with the worst. Yes, I'm not afraid to talk to pregnant women about death. I believe that it is better to call it by its name and say in what cases it may even occur, than to remain silent, thereby fueling the illusion that “childbirth is safe if...”. Yes, you need to prepare, you need to know certain studied laws of labor, you need to take care of safety, but not go to the extreme of over-control. Doctors know, and in fact they talk to each other, that childbirth is a process that does not fit into absolutely precise patterns. There are guidelines, yes. But childbirth is unpredictable. Childbirth is a time-compressed, concentrated model of life itself, and no one has yet been able to fit life into diagrams.

So, what is most feared is the sudden antenatal (before birth) death of a child. But it is not associated only with broken waters. It is even more associated with severe postmaturity (later than 43 weeks), and according to some data it is higher at 37 weeks than at 42-43, while at 37 weeks no one is stimulated. In general, this is a very mysterious thing - antenatal death. There are always risks in childbirth, simply because there is death. And this is not a reason for everyone to have a planned caesarean section. And this is not a reason to monitor the child’s condition around the clock. Just as we live, despite the fact that we know about the suddenness and unpredictability of death, we also go into childbirth, knowing that sometimes, very rarely, some children do not live to see their birth and this is how this world works. world. Personally, in my practice I have encountered two such cases, in both of them the exact cause has not been established.

Well, I wrote about death, now let’s return to the opposite pole, which is about life. In general, childbirth is about life, really. Childbirth is the emergence of a new life. Therefore, you can exhale and remember that most births go well for mother and child).

However, what can be done to reduce the risk described above?

♦️ in case of broken waters and/or post-term pregnancy, monitor the baby’s movements and heartbeat (you can do it right at home, I’ll write below how). If something worries you, then seek help.

Risk of umbilical cord prolapse

When the water breaks spontaneously, it is quite tiny. In my doula opinion, the situation of amniotomy is much more dangerous - puncture of the bladder in the maternity hospital, when this is done as a stimulation of the birth process, thereby interfering with the functioning of the body.

In what situation can loss still occur?

♦️ When the baby's head is high and not inserted into the pelvis and the bladder ruptures. In this case, the water may rush in and the umbilical cord may fall out, because the baby’s head has not yet had time to “plug” the pelvis.

But this is really a very rare complication and the article is not about it, so let’s continue.

Inflammatory process, infection

This is a big myth and, alas, most of our doctors firmly believe in it.
In fact, the risk of inflammation is also very small. It increases if: you are in a maternity hospital (the hospital is a more aggressive environment) if you have a lot of vaginal examinations if you have a complicated pregnancy or there are infections. But even if these three points are present, there will not necessarily be inflammation.
What reduces the risk of infection:
♦️ exclude vaginal examinations
♦️ do not go to public places where there are a lot of people
♦️ do not swim in public pools and ponds (otherwise you suddenly decide to swim)
♦️ don’t have sex with your husband (here it’s real - don’t)
♦️ maintain normal hygiene
♦️ monitor the factors listed below.

What are we paying attention to?

The color and smell of water. The norm is light, transparent, pinkish water. The smell should also be pleasant, if it is unpleasant and/or if the waters are green, brown, or any dark shade, then consult your midwife or doctor. If we are talking about childbirth in a maternity hospital, then you will definitely be told to come and lie down. This does not mean that everything is bad (I will write another article about what “green waters” mean), it does mean that more careful observation is needed. If we are talking about a home birth, then your midwife will most likely come to you right away and monitor the situation.

Next I write about the situation when the waters are light

We pay attention to your general condition, temperature (should not rise), emotional background. Fright and fear are adrenaline that blocks oxytocin and childbirth, so it is important to calm down and create safety for yourself. Moreover, for some women it is safe to immediately go to the maternity hospital and go under observation, while for others it is safe to stay at home, do normal things and calmly wait until contractions begin.

And, perhaps, the most important thing we pay attention to is the child’s condition. This is where it seems to me that many women are in the dark that essentially the only way to understand whether everything is okay with the child is to listen to his heartbeat. Yes, there is also ultrasound, but ultrasound cannot be done constantly, for many hours. It can show that the baby is fine, the placenta is working, the waters are preserved (although they have decreased), and the cervix is ​​ripe. But that's all.

Then CTG or Doppler comes into play. These are devices that are applied to the stomach and they read the rhythm of the heartbeat. In maternity hospitals there is a large device that records readings and itself recognizes strong changes and deviations. And home midwives carry with them portable hand-held Dopplers or wooden tubes, which they use to listen to the heart in the same way, only the device does not record and does not recognize the signal itself, here the midwife’s ear works.

I’m telling you something that’s surprising to many women. If you are calm and confident enough, then you can (even if the doctors throw tomatoes at me) monitor your heartbeat on your own. It is enough to learn to determine in which place in the abdomen you need to listen and find out about the digital indicators. I don't encourage everyone to do this. For many this will be too dangerous. But I know for sure that there are those for whom it will be, on the contrary, important - to find out what you can yourself.

So, the only way to determine whether everything is okay with the baby in the situation of broken waters and throughout the entire birth is a heartbeat. If it is normal, it means the flight is normal.

Based on all of the above, in many countries the protocol is to wait 72 hours after the water breaks, during which, as a rule, the woman begins to experience contractions and goes into labor. That is, the breaking of water without contractions is not yet childbirth!

In Russia the protocols are as follows:

In many maternity hospitals, a woman is given 6 hours. If contractions have not started, then stimulation begins according to the type: artificial oxytocin → epidural anesthesia → weak attempts → squeezing (Kristeller maneuver, banned in many countries) → episiotomy. Or straight away caesarean section.

Why? Because they are afraid of the first point, antenatal death, and do not want to bother with the woman (after all, this is a free birth and she is on the assembly line).

In addition, antibiotics are prescribed. Why? Because they are afraid of the point about infections:

- in some maternity hospitals they give 12 hours and then everything is the same
- in advanced maternity hospitals they give 24 hours
- in Moscow, literally in a couple of maternity hospitals (and maybe in just one) a woman is given 72 hours

♦️ It is important to know that I mention “they give in the maternity hospital” as a figure of speech, and not as a fact. You can always refuse stimulation, write refusals and continue to wait, even if the maternity hospital “hasn’t heard” about 72 hours and considers it a fiction.

Doctors are not gods, they can make big mistakes, many are stuck at the level of medical knowledge of the last century and are not interested in modern medical research and protocols. And yes, some kind of you, an ordinary woman reading the Internet, may be more competent than a whole, huge DOCTOR.

In a home birth, they usually wait the same 72 hours, the midwife listens to the heart, life goes on as usual and, as a rule, contractions begin and labor starts during this period; solo birthers wait as long as they decide for themselves, and monitor their condition themselves.

2. The second option for a bubble to burst is when it breaks somewhere high. In this case, upon manual inspection we find a whole bubble, but water is leaking and then it is obvious that the gap is much higher. Let's call this option water leakage.

In this case it's even more interesting:

♦️ the bubble below is intact, the head has not moved down so much, there is no pressure on the cervix and thus there is no stimulation either, so there may not be contractions at all for a very long time
♦️ water leaks little by little, they are renewed, and with limited mobility (bed rest), you can see on ultrasound that the water index is increasing, although initially it had fallen
♦️ The practice of home obstetrics and especially the practice of conscious solo childbirth shows that a woman can overcome such a leakage situation for longer than 72 hours. In my personal practice (this is when I saw it with my own eyes) there were 4, 5 and 8 days. In the cases I read and heard, it even took a couple of weeks. Irina Martynova’s book “Confession of a Midwife” describes a case where a woman lay like that at home for 6 or 7 weeks (the water began to leak at 32 weeks, if I remember correctly). But this is an exceptional case, which I simply mention to show that this happens. Usually we are still talking about a full-term pregnancy and labor begins spontaneously within a week
♦️ in the maternity hospital for this situation the same maximum protocol is 72 hours; they won’t allow you to walk for a week, perhaps, anywhere.

What should you be wary of?

The same thing as in the first situation: worsening heartbeat (this is perhaps the main thing) green, brown, dark-colored water. ♦️ The norm is light, transparent, pink water, an unpleasant odor, an increase in temperature, and a deterioration in the general condition of the development of infection.

Summarizing

I'm a doula and I don't make recommendations. Recommendation is a verb in the imperative mood that calls for action. I'm giving information. Information is provided using the phrases “there is such experience”, “it happens this way and that way”, “you can do this” (but you may not do it, you are free in your choice). That is why I will now write below the word “can”, which implies that there is a certain opportunity, but everyone decides for themselves whether to take advantage of this opportunity or not.

♦️ You can stay at home and not go to the maternity hospital immediately after your water breaks or leaks for at least 6 hours, and for a maximum of about 3 days

♦️ If you are already in the maternity hospital, then you can write a receipt and refuse stimulation if it is offered earlier than 72 hours later and the condition of the woman and child is good

♦️ You can stay at home with your water breaking/leaking and call a midwife, with whom you can agree to monitor you and the baby until contractions begin and you go to the maternity hospital (this service is usually called accompaniment to the maternity hospital, or it is possible, if you have a contract for an individual midwife during childbirth)

♦️ You can buy a manual Doppler, study the information yourself and monitor the baby’s heartbeat until contractions begin.

And the important thing is that these opportunities are based not only on experience, but also on evidence-based medicine. I don't want to overload the text with research links. For those who care, a lot of information can be found on pubmed and in English-language sources.

See also online workshops about childbirth by rehabilitation specialist Oleg Leonkin from the series Lecture by Marina Golubtsova

Photo by Natasha Hanks