A membraneous sac filled with fluid called an amniotic sac surrounds your baby inside the uterus. This fluid-filled sac ruptures before or during your labor, and this happening is said to be water breaking.

Causes of Water Breaking

Water breaking is the signal that indicates you are ready for labor delivery and your baby is almost to be born soon. Experts say several factors are involved to trigger the brain signals from your baby to induce the rupture of the membranous sac. 

When your water breaks, you may feel like an uncontrollable slow leak or a gush of clear or pale yellow warm liquid passes from the vagina which possibly wets your pants. This may even happen with a blood discharge like pink or brown mucus. Such discharge shows that the labor is about to happen soon.

Have my Waters Broken?

Water breaking is a happening that every pregnant woman may undergo before or during labor, however, it may vary from woman to woman. Hence you should be prepared for your experience and aware of knowing about water breaking.

• a gush of fluid or a slow leak may happen
• your underwear may get damp unusually
• uncontrollable leaking of small or large amounts of fluid from the vagina 

Impact of early water break

If your water breaks after 37 weeks of pregnancy but before the expected date of delivery, it is said to be a prelabour rupture of membranes. This condition may happen to begin your labor within the next 12 hours. If it doesn’t happen normally, your doctor may induce labor by some techniques to reduce the infection risk.

In case, if your water breaks before 37 weeks, in this condition, call your doctor immediately. Delivery may happen with the risk of preterm labor, placenta abruption, prolapse of the umbilical cord, or amniotic fluid infection. Hence it is necessary to get advice from your doctor as soon as you experience water breaking in the early weeks before labor.

Related: What is Cervix Dilation and Effacement?