Warning Signs During Pregnancy
If any of the following conditions occur during your pregnancy, you should consult a doctor or attend a hospital Accident and Emergency Department immediately:
- water breaking or suspected water breaking
- vaginal bleeding
- persistent abdominal pain
- severe or rapidly worsening oedema (please refer "Pre-eclampsia" leaflet)
- severe headache (please refer "Pre-eclampsia" leaflet)
- significant decrease in baby's movements (please refer "Baby's Movements" leaflet)
Water breaking
During pregnancy, your baby is surrounded by a fluid-filled membranous sac called the amniotic sac. When the membrane of the amniotic sac ruptures, this is known as water breaking or leaking. Pregnant women may feel a gush of fluid or constant leaking of small amounts of watery fluid from the vagina
Water breaking, or leaking, usually occurs shortly before or during labour. On the other hand, water breaking can also occur at any stage of pregnancy, or before labour starts. It is called "Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes". Most pregnant women will go into spontaneous labour within 24 hours of the membranes rupturing. With increasing duration of time following rupture of the membrane, there is an increasing risk of infection of the womb and the baby. Hence, you should go to hospital immediately once water breaks for assessment by an obstetrician.
Under some circumstances, if only a very small amount of amniotic fluid has leaked, it may be difficult to tell the difference between water breaking and vaginal discharge or urinary incontinence. If you are uncertain, please consult your obstetrician for further assessment immediately.