How to know if your water broke: what it looks and feels like, and what to do next

How do you know if your water broke? Your waters (the amniotic fluid around your baby) usually come as a sudden gush or a steady trickle of clear or pale pink fluid from the vagina that you cannot stop, and it can happen before any contractions start. SGH warns it is easily mistaken for vaginal discharge or a urine leak. In Singapore, the advice from KKH, SGH, NUH and HealthHub is the same: if you think your water bag has burst, put on a thick maternity pad and go to the hospital, because you and your baby are at risk of infection. If the fluid is green, brown or heavily blood-stained, go straight away.

This guide covers what waters breaking looks and feels like, how to tell it from urine and discharge, what the colour means, where to go in Singapore by how many weeks pregnant you are, and what the hospital will do.

What it looks and feels like when your water breaks

The amniotic sac, or water bag, is the bag of fluid your baby grows in. When it breaks, the fluid comes out through your vagina. Films show a dramatic flood in a supermarket, but KKH's doctors say it is usually less dramatic, though it does soak your underwear and sometimes runs down your leg.

• A gush: a sudden rush of fluid, often more than you expected.
• A trickle: a steady leak that keeps coming, which is easy to mistake for urine.
• Colour: clear or light pink is normal, KKH says, and Thomson Medical notes it can be slightly cloudy.
• Pain: none from the waters themselves. Contractions may start soon after, or not for a while.
• Timing: HealthHub and SGH both say the water bag can break before labour, when there are no contractions at all.

Waters, urine or discharge? How to tell the difference

You cannot always tell at home, and SGH's own page says the leak can be mistaken for discharge or urine. The table below shows the usual differences.

One way to check: empty your bladder and put on a clean pad. If it soon gets wet again with clear fluid, or fluid keeps leaking when you stand up and move, it is likely your waters, and a pad rather than a tampon is the right thing to wear. The UK's NHS advises a pad so your midwife can check the colour. If you are still unsure, HealthHub's advice is to see your doctor straight away rather than wait.

What the colour of your waters means

KKH's doctors, writing in HealthXchange, describe what the colour tells you:

Note the time your waters broke and the colour, and tell the midwife when you arrive.

What to do when your water breaks

1. Put on your thickest maternity pad, as KKH advises, rather than a tampon.
2. Check the colour and the time.
3. Feel for your baby's movements. If your baby is moving less than usual, go in immediately.
4. Call your delivery suite or gynae to say you are coming.
5. Go to the hospital. SGH's reason is the risk of infection for you and your baby. You do not need to wait for contractions to start.
6. Bring your hospital bag and appointment booklet; our hospital bag checklist has the list.

This differs from some UK and US pages, which tell women to call and sometimes wait at home for labour to start. Follow your own hospital's advice; in Singapore, every hospital page we read says go in.

Where to go in Singapore

• KKH: from 22 weeks, go directly to the Delivery Suite on Level 2 of the Women's Tower, which KKH lists for water-bag leakage. Before 22 weeks, go to the Urgent O&G Centre in Basement 1, a 24-hour walk-in centre.
• SGH: from 20 weeks, the Labour Ward 52A at Block 5, Level 2, open 24 hours. Before 20 weeks, the Emergency Department.
• NUH: the Delivery Suite, Ward 22, Main Building Level 2.
• Private hospital: go to the delivery suite where you are booked, and call your gynae's clinic or the hospital line on the way.

What happens at the hospital

The team will confirm whether your waters have broken and check you and your baby. SGH says the assessment may include a vaginal examination, an ultrasound scan, and cardiotocography (CTG) to monitor your baby's heartbeat and your contractions. The UK's RCOG adds that a speculum examination, and sometimes a swab, is used when it is unclear.

What comes next depends on how many weeks you are:

• From 34 weeks, if your waters have broken but labour has not started, SGH lists this as a reason to induce labour. Our guide to how to start labour naturally explains a membrane sweep and induction.
• Before 37 weeks, waters breaking early is called preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM). The RCOG says it happens in up to 3 in 100 pregnancies. Your doctor will weigh up infection risk against the benefits of more time in the womb. Our premature labour signs guide covers what happens and how the NICU helps.
• If you tested positive for Group B strep, which KKH and NUH screen for in the third trimester, tell the team when your waters break, because you will need antibiotics in labour. See our Group B strep guide.

Sometimes the waters do not break by themselves, and the midwife or doctor breaks them during labour to help it along. SingHealth says this does not harm your baby or drain all the fluid around it. Our signs of labour guide covers the other signs, and what labour feels like explains the contractions that usually follow.

Frequently asked questions

What does it feel like when your water breaks?

Often a sudden gush, or a trickle of warm, clear fluid that keeps coming and soaks your underwear, with no pain from the waters themselves. KKH says it can run down your leg but is usually less dramatic than in films.

Can your water break without contractions?

Yes. HealthHub and SGH both say it can happen before labour starts. In Singapore you should still go to the hospital, because of the risk of infection.

How do I know if it's urine or my waters?

Urine smells of urine and usually stops when you squeeze your pelvic floor. Amniotic fluid is clear or pale pink and keeps leaking. If you are not sure, go in: HealthHub says to see your doctor immediately if you cannot tell.

What colour is amniotic fluid?

Clear or light pink is normal. Green or brown fluid means your baby has passed meconium, and heavily blood-stained fluid can mean bleeding; both need the hospital straight away.

How long after my water breaks will labour start?

Often within a day. The NHS says it is usual to go into labour within 24 hours. In Singapore, from 34 weeks, SGH lists waters breaking without labour as a reason to induce.