Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

During the period of pregnancy, the baby in your womb is cushioned inside and well protected in a fluid which is called amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid is a bag of membranes which is full of fluid.  Towards the first stage of the labor, the water bag breaks or bursts and there develops a tear in the bag due to which leaking is caused.  This process is called the water breaking process.  In different situations, different actions will be needed on the breaking of water bag. Let’s find out more about the same.

If the water breaks before the completion of 37 weeks of pregnancy, then this means that you are earlier than the due date and the first thing to do is to ask for  urgent medical attention.  If the water breaks after the completion of the 37 week mark, then your labor has approached on the right time. In either case, you will need to do the following:

Steps to take when water bag bursts:

• Immediately after the water breaks, the first thing you must remember is not to panic.  You can put on a sanitary pad for some level of protection. The doctor must know the colour of the fluid that is leaking and hence the pad will help you know this.
• For different women, the amount of liquid that leaks may be different. While some may feel a sudden gush of amniotic fluid, others may just feel a slight trickle.  If you have a gush of liquid, then using only the sanitary pad may not be enough and hence you must carry a hand towel with you while you go to the hospital. But even in this situation, do not panic as this is completely normal and natural.
• Sit down and try to relax .Avoid a lot of movement at this time and make yourself comfortable in a sitting position.
• If you have no one around you at the time of water bag bursting, contact your family or in the case where your spouse or relatives are at a considerable distance from the place you are, call one of your trusted neighbors or someone else for help.
• The next step is to ask your partner or any other person nearby is to contact the doctor and explain the situation. You can do this on your own as well.  Do exactly as the doctor tells you to do and find someone who can drive you to the hospital. Do not drive on your own!
• If the doctor tells you that you are not yet ready for delivery, then due to the leaking fluid, there might be a chance of infection. In this case, you will be given antibiotic or other kinds of medicines or drugs to avoid the infection from developing.
•  Steroid drugs may also be given to you so that your baby develops independently and can breathe on his own.

Thus in case of water bag bursting, handle the situation calmly without getting panic.