During pregnancy, a pregnant woman has many apprehensions and questions regarding delivery. For example, women are very apprehensive about water breaks, fearing that their water may break before delivery and in such a situation, no untoward incident may occur. Therefore, in this article, we are trying to give correct information about water breaks to our readers.

We talked to Lucknow's gynecologist Dr. RekhaYadav about this and are sharing the information received from her with you here. If seen, how much time should the delivery take place after the water break? And in case of water breaks before delivery, some kind of precaution should be taken, before knowing this you have to know what a water bag is.

The fetus remains safe in the water bag

During pregnancy, the baby is protected in a water bag, which is filled with amniotic fluid. Let us tell you that many types of hormones, antibodies and nutrients are found in this amniotic fluid, which play an important role in the development of the baby. However, after the fourth month, the fetus's dependence on this amniotic fluid reduces and it starts taking essential nutrition from the placenta. However, for safety reasons, this bag is necessary for the baby till the last days of pregnancy.

The baby keeps moving freely in the womb only inside this protective bag. In a way, this water bag filled with amniotic fluid is a protective circle for it, which breaks just before or during delivery. In such a situation, when the sac bursts, the amniotic fluid filled in it comes out, which is called a water break. At the same time, if this sac bursts much before the time of delivery, then both the fetus and the pregnant woman are at risk of infection.

How long should delivery take after the water break?

Now let's talk about how long the delivery should take place after the water break. Regarding this, our health expert Dr. RekhaYadav says that usually, the delivery takes place within 24 to 48 hours after the water break. In case this does not happen, doctors try to induce labour through artificial means, so that the child can be born as soon as possible. However, according to the physical condition, the time of delivery after the water break is different for every woman.

But the thing to keep in mind here is how many days old the fetus is. Water break usually occurs around the 40th week of pregnancy. But under some circumstances, this sac can burst even in the 37th and 38th weeks, which is called premature rupture of the membrane. In such a situation, the risk of infection in the fetus increases, hence to save the child, premature delivery has to be done. For the care of premature babies, they are kept in NICU i.e. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a few days.

Why does water break occur prematurely?

Now let's talk about why water breaks prematurely. So according to Dr. RekhaYadav, there could be many reasons behind this. For example, this sac can burst naturally due to contraction due to excessive physical and mental pressure. Apart from this, any kind of infection in the uterus can also lead to premature water break. At the same time, sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea can also cause water breaks before delivery.

Whatever the reason, in case of a water break, a pregnant woman needs immediate medical treatment. In such a situation, the life of both the child and the pregnant woman can be in danger, hence doctor's monitoring is very important. The doctor examines the pregnant woman and uses medicine or appropriate techniques to trigger labour pain.

Image Credit:Freepik