Questioncan you kindly tell me in great details what happens after a pregnant woman's water break?
NOTE:ITS FOR A SCHOOL PROJECT SO GIVE ENOUGH INFO TO FILL MORE THAN 3 A4 PAGES
AnswerDid you mean 3 OR 4 pages or 3/4 page?
Please remember I am not a doctor, so you should verify this information. I would recommend searching on google under "childbirth" or "amniotic fluid breaking" etc.
I don't know if I can give you that much information, but I will do my best.
There are many things that happen once a pregnant woman's water breaks. First of all IF the water breaks on its own, it is actually an uncommon occurrence. It only breaks on its own in about 10-15% of all full-term(meaning 9 months or 36-40 weeks)pregnancies.
If it does break on its own, this is a sign that labor is beginning. The water can break with a big "gush" of fluid which means that the baby's head is not too far down in the birth canal and is not blocking the flow of the amniotic fluid (that is the water.) If the amniotic fluid (water) trickles out it is a sign that the baby's head is lower in the birth canal and is blocking or plugging the flow of the amniotic fluid. Either case is totally normal.
Once the water breaks, labor eventually begins if it has not begun already. The woman would begin having mild contractions which will eventually get stronger and stronger as labor gets farther along.
IF the water never breaks, (which has happened to me two times) the doctor will usually break it at the hospital (or birthing center) or whatever medical professional is monitoring the birth. (such as a midwife). It is usually broken when the woman's cervix is dilated to about 4-6 centimeters (it has to dilte to 10 centimeters in order for the baby to come out). I have had this done two times. The doctor has a long instrument which is specially designed to puncture the amniotic sac without hurting the baby or mother. Again once they break it, it can either gush out in great amounts or trickle out depending on how far down the birth canal the baby is.
Once a doctor breaks the water, labor will progress as well. In my case both times my labor accelerated and my babies were born shortly thereafter. Some women labor more slowly.
Sometimes if an unborn baby is in distress it will affect the amniotic fluid. If a woman in labor has what is called meconium, it is a sign that the baby is having trouble of some sort- meconium is when the unborn baby has its first bowel movement while still inside the womb and not born yet. this can be dangerous for the baby as the meconium has bacteria in it and the baby can get this fluid in its mouth, nose and lungs which can lead to serious infection.
Things that can cause the meconium are if the baby's oxygen supply is getting cut off, such as if there are knots in the umbilical cord, or the umbilical cord may be wrapped around the baby 's neck or leg or arm. Other times just the contractions the mother is having are too stressful for the baby, especially if the baby is very large and the mother is built very small.
Now if the mother's water breaks prematurely, it is a sign that the baby will be born premature. Once the water breaks there is no turning back. If the water breaks too early there is a great risk that the baby will not be strong enough to survive. The survival point for a premature baby is usually around 24 weeks of pregnancy, but this is severly premature, and the baby will have many medical problems. There is no way to "add water" once it has broken. There is such a procedure called an amniotic infusion, where fluid is injected into the amniotic sac, but this is a temporary solution and cannot sustain a pregnancy for weeks.
I hope this is some good information for you. If it is not please try the google search, there is a ton of information out there.
thanks. good luck on your project.
a
