Understanding Water Breaking: What Happens & When?

Question
How exactly does the water break? Does the baby push on it and it breaks, or what? I've looked at so many web sites and all they tell you is how you know when the water breaks, they just don't say how!

Answer
Dear Paticia,

There are a combination of factors that contribute to the water breaking. First of all, in preparation for labor, "lightening" occurs. This is simply when the baby drops lower into the abdomen. While this decreases the pressure higher up in the abdomen and the mother may be able to breathe a little easier, there may be more pressure lower in the abdomen now, causing more frequent urination and more pelvic/low back pressure. The baby's head MAY begin to engage or descend into the pelvis at this time also.

Another event that happens is the passage of the mucus plug that has sealed off the cervix during pregnancy and protected the baby from infection. This usually happens a few days before or at the onset of labor, as the cervix begins to dilate.

Many women also experience Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are "false labor" contractions, but they are contractions of the uterine muscle nonetheless. Although they aren't necessarily effective in dilating the cervix, they do help get the body ready for true labor.

However, for the most part, the increased pressure of the baby's head down in the pelvis is the main cause. The membranes can rupture in many different ways though. Some may burst and the mother will know without a doubt. Others will simply give way to a small leak and there will only be a trickle of fluid, which can be clear, blood-tinged, or even a greenish or yellowish color, depending on the circumstances.

Still others may not have their water break on their own at all. When a woman comes in to be induced, or comes in with contractions,and the membranes have not ruptured, the doctor may choose to manually rupture the membranes.

I hope I've helped you understand this a little better. There are a lot of factors that contribute to this, but mainly you can attribute it to the increased pressure of the baby descending.

Brenda