# Water broke first for BOTH labors. What's the likelihood it will happen again?



## Celticqueen (Feb 17, 2007)

For son #1, water broke first, contractions followed 9 hours later. For son #2, same thing.

I plan on having more kids. Does anyone know of any statistics in this subject field? To be honest, I am hoping it will happen again. It was really nice to know for a fact labor was soon to begin and it gave me time to prepare things before the contractions started. But I know it won't neccessarily be that way in the future. My midwife said the likelihood IS that it will keep happening but I wanted to get more opinions.

Thanks!

-Caitrin


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## kcparker (Apr 6, 2008)

Statistically, the water breaks before labor commences in about 25% of labors. One thing you can do if you want to avoid it (though it sounds like you don't) is to make sure you are getting lots of Vitamin C in your diet as it can help keep the bag a little stronger. It can be nice to keep it intact because it provides a cushion from the contractions' full power for both the mama and the baby, and it can make labor less painful (though sometimes progress might be a little slower than if the baby is right down on the cervix with her head).


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## phatchristy (Jul 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kcparker* 
Statistically, the water breaks before labor commences in about 25% of labors. One thing you can do if you want to avoid it (though it sounds like you don't) is to make sure you are getting lots of Vitamin C in your diet as it can help keep the bag a little stronger. It can be nice to keep it intact because it provides a cushion from the contractions' full power for both the mama and the baby, and it can make labor less painful (though sometimes progress might be a little slower than if the baby is right down on the cervix with her head).

My midwives shared with me that the stats for that is 10% of the time...that the water breaking first before labor starts only happens 10% of the time.

I second the vitamin C.

I've only had the water break with one DC...for my fourth. Labor kicked in around 9 hours later (and he was born like within 25 minutes of that, unplanned UC) at 38W4D. My other DC were born past 40 and 41 weeks even. Big difference!


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## Devaskyla (Oct 5, 2003)

I have 3 kids & had 3 labours that started with my water breaking. I was desperately hoping it wouldn't happen again, but it did. I tried vitamin c & extra protein to try to stop it, but I think some of us, that's just how things go.


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## LittleOne03 (Feb 7, 2004)

My first labor was induced but my next three labors all began with my water breaking. My SIL began both of her labors with her water breaking. I always wonder, if I hadn't been induced, if my first would have begun the same way. I actually really liked it because I didn't have to wonder, "Is this it?"


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## roxemama (May 26, 2009)

I took the vitamin C through out my pregnancy because I was scared of my water breaking too early. It happened to my sister and she was induced. I'll never know how much good it did for me but I'll tell you my water didn't break until 4:30 pm and DD was born at 6:30 pm. My labor up until 7+ inches was very smooth.

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## Mamatoabunch (Sep 23, 2007)

I prefer my labor not to start w/ waters breaking, I have found my labors more intense when waters break prior to labor. Anyway, mine has broke before labor w/ my first, third, then started vit C. It did not break in 4th, 5th pregnancy. Did though w/ 6th and 8th.


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## Celticqueen (Feb 17, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LittleOne03* 
My first labor was induced but my next three labors all began with my water breaking. My SIL began both of her labors with her water breaking. I always wonder, if I hadn't been induced, if my first would have begun the same way. I actually really liked it because I didn't have to wonder, "Is this it?"









See this is my thought as well- I really like my water breaking first because I know labor is on it's way.


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

rom a statistical standpoint, i can see a couple of possible answers....one is that you have exactly the same chance as anyone else would, because each labor is diffrent and unique.
Anoteh thought is that somethign about your pelvis shape might encourage a baby to settle in in such a wayas to promote water breaking as the precursor to birth, therefore you would have a higher chance. Another thought is that genetically or nutritionally, you are predisposed to having weaker bags of water, again in which case you wuold be more likely to have it happen again.


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## lovemysunshine (Jul 13, 2005)

I'm having issues subbing and want to come back to this later, hoping posting to the thread will sub me.


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## MyLilPwny (Feb 22, 2008)

I didn't know that water breaking first isn't a normal occurrence and I didn't know that it made labor more painful. For my labor, my water broke and then my labor initiated with contractions starting a couple of minutes later and my baby was born 5 hours later (first and only birth so far). I wonder if it helped make labor faster? To me, labor wasn't all that painful, like not that bad. I didn't take a vitamin C supplement or any other prenatals (I just relied on getting nutrients from food) and I think I had a healthy pregnancy, birth and baby without the supplements.


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## brendaziz (Aug 6, 2008)

My one sister had 2 babies and both started with water breaking.
My other sister has only had 1 and started the same way.
I'm on my 3rd and hoping for that but it's never happened to me.

As far as the stats of what percentage of labors start that way-
What i think is probably that only 10% or so of ALL labors start that way (factoring in how many c sections and inductions there are) but if everyone were left alone- it'd be more like the 25%.


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## XanaduMama (May 19, 2006)

I took a bunch of vitamin C throughout both my pregnancies, and had ROM to start labor both times.

FTR, my mom never had her water break in any of her 4 deliveries.







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## JudiAU (Jun 29, 2008)

I would love to know! My midwife says that it only occurs in about 10% of births and that is generally makes labor much more intense. It is rarer in ftm.

I had it happen but I didn't go into labor for more than 20h. Labor was very intense when it finally began. I had an epi when I got to the hospital and it was determined that I was in transition, at 5, but that the baby hadn't descenced at all. I was at 10 in another hour but baby didn't descend for five more hours. I pushed her out fine.

I would have had a csection with 90% of obs.

Pregnant again and hoping I have a period of productive labor without a broken bag and a baby actually doing the work instead of insane contractions.


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## Inspired007 (Aug 25, 2006)

This is my second baby and I'm hoping things progress the way they did last time.

My water broke at 1:30 a.m., it made my contractions begin at 2 am with an intensity I never expected. For the first hour of my contractions they were so strong they flushed my body out like I had just taken a laxative or something. I went to the bathroom about 6 times all while contracting. It was pretty bad, but in retrospect, I think it was very effective at moving my bowels. I can't imagine the way the birthing pool would have looked had my bowels moved later on.










The contractions never let up and I was in transistion by 6 am and my baby was born at 7:10 a.m. I drank RRL tea from about 25 weeks on and I'm sure that my water breaking added to the intensity. Obviously my baby was in the optimal positioning for birth and when the bag broke, she laid on my cervix and told my body she was coming out.

I'd like to repeat the experience, because although it was intense it was mercifully fast.


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## SandraS (Jan 18, 2007)

My water broke at home for all four of mine. It didn't have any impact on my labors - they were all very fast (longest was 89 minutes) and not painful.


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