If your waters break and nothing happens. How long and why does the hospital wait before inducing you?

Question

Your concerns are the same as mine.
My friend has waited a week - they're inducing her today. I think it's very wrong but she kept listening to the hospital.

Answer 1

Jeez - i'm very surprised the hospital has allowed your friend to wait so long - as most ppl have answered - baby is prone to infection if there is no water around him, this can be very dangerous - i hope your friend is ok...

Answer 2

If she was at term waiting 24 hours to see if labor sets in is not a big deal. Its always better to let nature control labor. If your body is not ready, inducing can cause more stress to mother and child.

That being said. Infection is not a definite thing. My water broke at 17 weeks. The hospital wanted to induce (of course my daughter would die) because of infection. I said no. I did get an infection...but it was at 31 weeks. My husband rushed me to the hospital, my doctor did an emergency C section and my daughter was born at exactly midnight.

She is now a wild 4 year old terror and you would never know that she was 9 weeks early.

Answer 3

If your waters break get to the hospital asap. And then allow the experienced staff to look after you. Don't stay at home, with broken waters, simply because you are not experiencing contractions. Your baby needs the amniotic fluid in your womb, and once it has gone he needs to be born quite quickly. My second baby was due at Easter time and the doctor told me that that was so inconvenient - lower numbers of staff on duty during the holiday. So when my waters broke on Easter Saturday I tried to hide the fact from the rest of the family. I watched the Oxford/Cambridge boat race, played snowball fights in the street with the children (yes, it used to snow in those days!) and then , finally, admitted what was happening. The ambulance men insisted on taking me out to the ambulance on a stretcher. It was a worrying birth because my waters broke at least 18 hours before I contacted the hospital. When your waters break act immediately - you will need hospital care from then until the birth.

Answer 4

It all depends on when the baby is due. My waters broke at 35 weeks with my daughter but I did not go into labour, they kept me in for observation for 4 days incase of infection. I ended up being induced at 36 weeks because I started bleeding and had a high temp.

Answer 5

Water breking signifies the baby will come within 24 hours. Hospitals wait to induce to give the body a chance to naturally go into labor. I's always best to let nature run its course....

Answer 6

Anything over 24 hours and you risk getting an infection. Most hospitals will start induction medicine if your water breaks and you still dont get reg contractions after a few hours

Answer 7

The hospital should not wait to induce you!! That can be very dangerous to the baby if your water breaks and nothing happens!! The baby can then have a bowel movement...You should be induced if your water breaks and nothing happens within in few hours..

Answer 8

It varies from region to region, but 24 to 48 hours is the norm The risk of infection is then considered greater and labour is generally induced to minimise this risk.

Answer 9

They should induce you within 24 hours. The reason for this is that infection can creep inside the womb which is dangerous for mother and child. I know because mine were left for 3 days and my son and myself got very ill.

Answer 10

the hospital shouldn't wait. as soon as your waters break there is an increased risk of infection. they should induce you straight away if nothing is happening