Strollerderby : water breaking

Water Broke at 17 Weeks; Baby Survives

Miriam Axel-Lute — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Sometimes the stars align. They certainly did for Matthew Janson, who was born Friday in Cleveland. See, his mother's amniotic fluid had started to leak back in November, when she was only 17 weeks pregnant.

Ususally that would spell doom. But they hung on. The premature rupture wasn't caused by infection or bleeding of the placenta or any of the "usual" caused.

The leak was slow, and infection was kept at bay. Although she'd been told to expect to miscarry within a few weeks, she made it to viability still pregnant. She entered the hospital at 23 weeks, but made it to 34 before delivering—Matthew was still premature, but not even wildly so, and quite healthy.

Although all the doctors involved want everyone to know just how unlikely this was (1 in 500,000 chance said one), it's still always nice to hear about a happy ending.

Photo (which is not of Matthew Janson) by Yager-Madden.

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Woman in Labor Holds Off Delivery Until After Voting for Obama

JeanneSager — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:32:00 GMT

Lakisha Smith wasn't going to let a little thing like her water breaking stop her from casting her vote for Barack Obama. The new mother from South Carolina refused to go to the hospital Monday night when her water broke and contractions began.

She made it through the night and even waited on line at the polling station to take part in the voting process. Smith, twenty-seven, then rushed to the hospital where she delivered daughter Keyonna Marie on Tuesday.

My stubborn daughter had to be induced to come into this world, so I don't know anything about the rush to the hospital with a baby on the way. But miss out on a historic moment like this? Not a chance. I'd have tried my darndest to do the same thing!

Image: City of Gainesville

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Report: Breaking Laboring Mom's Waters Mostly Unnecessary

Madeline Holler — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 15:21:00 GMT

A research group has determined there is no advantage to amniotomy before or during labor. In fact, it might put moms at a slightly higher risk for c-section, according to the report based on a systematic review of all relevant studies.

Amniotomy, also called “rupturing the membranes” or “breaking the bag of waters” was likely under the “Don’ts” on your birth plan. Yet, if your water didn't break at home or sometime early in labor at the hospital, there’s a good chance your OB or midwife raked your amniotic sac with a small hook and broke your water anyway, “to get things going.”

However, no evidence shows this procedure shortens labor, according to the report released by the Cochrane Systematic Reivew. The report goes on to say that women should be informed that it doesn’t shorten the first or second stage of labor, nor does it affect women’s satisfaction with the childbirth experience. Also, there’s no evidence that it helps the baby in any way either.

Sure, g’head and tell all the women. But a lot of good that will do if no one informs the caregivers. Speaking completely anecdotally here, I think it’s the doctors and midwives that need to get the bulletin on this. How many of you had your water broken by your OB, unbeknownst to you? Was anybody persuaded to allow the procedure to help “get things started”?