# First 2 labors, water broke first. Will this happen with #3 too?



## Celticqueen (Feb 17, 2007)

I am wondering what my odds are of having labor start this way with this baby (number 3). For the first 2 labors, my water broke first, contractions started the next day. Does anyone know of any statistics/numbers of likelihood this will happen again? I found it very convenient- since I knew labor was going to start in the next 24 hours, it gave me time to pack my bag and clean the house.

Has this happened to anyone else? (Water breaking first with every pregnancy)?


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## JudiAU (Jun 29, 2008)

I'll have to watch this thread...I had the same thing. Water breaking with labor starting about 12 hours later. The second labor was very fast (2+_ hours_) and I ended up accidentally UC'ing. Labor was wild but I'd rather have two hours than more.


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## XanaduMama (May 19, 2006)

This happened with both of mine as well--interested in this thread for the same reason! I took loads of vitamin C with #2 in the hope of strengthening my bag, but still started out with that middle-of-the-night pop. Undiagnosed BV or yeast (or, I've heard, GBS) can apparently weaken one's amniotic sac, so if you're chronically infected I suppose that might contribute to the pattern. Or it's just one of those things...


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## wombatclay (Sep 4, 2005)

With dd1 my water broke the day before any contractions started (I was at 42 weeks at that point). Despite a very laid back and supportive birth team I did end up with c/s in that birth.

With dd2 I was super scared of a repeat, but thankfully for my peace of mind contractions started just a few hours after my water broke (at 40 weeks) and dd2 was a successful vbac.

With ds I was at 41 weeks (actually 42 weeks, but since the hospital wouldn't "allow" vbac past 41 weeks my provider and I had fudged the dates just in case and thank goodness), I'd had nearly non-stop prodromal labor for about a week and a half, and since I was facing the absolute limit of what my provider/the hospital would stand in terms of vbac I had an AROM. Contractions picked up within minutes and ds was born roughly 4 hours later.

I know that water breaking prior to onset of contractions isn't really the most common scenario (something like 15% of moms have this happen), but it seems that my body simply doesn't know what to do if the membranes are intact! LOL I'm curious to see what happens this time round, but I think that if I go to 41 weeks with prodromal labor again I'll actually ask for AROM based on my prior birth experiences. (not that I'm suggesting AROM casually, it might be one of the least invasive of the invasive induction techniques, but it still carries some significant risks both biological with potential infection/reduced mobility for babe and artificial with hospital policies about clocks and mobility after ROM)


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## Devaskyla (Oct 5, 2003)

I've had 3 babies & 3 labours start with my water breaking. I'm just expecting it to happen again this time, although I would love just once to have a labour without my water breaking first. With ds1, I got cut for going over the hospital's 24 hour clock. With ds2, labour finally started about 88 hours after my water broke. With ds3, I had contractions every half hour starting a few hours after it broke, but labour took about 17 hours to really kick in (and then it only took about 5 hours)


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## elisheva (May 30, 2006)

My water broke at 39 weeks with ds2 and dd (ds1 was failed induction c/s for high bp at 38 weeks so I'm not counting his birth since I never actually went into labour)...I'm at 39+5 with this babe and no water breaking/labour in sight...will let you know. I've also heard that water breaking before labour happens more often in obese women due to our "poor nutrition".














Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have eaten McDonalds every day (kidding) between my meals of hohos and chocolate milk...


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## mom2Avi (Dec 1, 2002)

My 3rd was the only one where my water didn't break before labor started. I'm actually not sure when it broke though, she was a super fast unplanned UC and I know it didn't break during labor - maybe when she was delivered?


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