During pregnancy, a ғʟᴜɪᴅ-ғɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴍᴇᴍʙʀᴀɴᴏᴜs sᴀᴄ known as the ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ surrounds and protects your ᴜɴʙᴏʀɴ child. Your membranes will typically ʙᴜʀsᴛ, or your water will ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ, at the start or during labor.

It’s known as a ᴘʀᴇʟᴀʙᴏʀ ʀᴜᴘᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴍᴇᴍʙʀᴀɴᴇs if your water ʙʀᴇᴀᴋs before labor begins (PROM). It was formerly referred to as a ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ʀᴜᴘᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴍᴇᴍʙʀᴀɴᴇs.

When your water ʙʀᴇᴀᴋs, you may feel ᴅᴀᴍᴘ in your vagina or on your ᴘᴇʀɪɴᴇᴜᴍ, have sᴘᴏʀᴀᴅɪᴄ ᴏʀ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴏᴜs ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴋs ᴏғ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀʏ ғʟᴜɪᴅ from your ᴠᴀɢɪɴᴀ, or experience a more pronounced flow of ᴄʟᴇᴀʀ ᴏʀ ᴘᴀʟᴇ ʏᴇʟʟᴏᴡ ғʟᴜɪᴅ.

If your water doesn’t ʙᴜʀsᴛ on its own, what happens?

Your doctor may use an ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛᴏᴍʏ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴅᴜʀᴇ to induce labor or to ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪғʏ ᴇxɪsᴛɪɴɢ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs if you are in active labor and your ᴄᴇʀᴠɪx ɪs ᴅɪʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜɪɴɴᴇᴅ and the baby’s head is deep in your ᴘᴇʟᴠɪs. Your water will ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ as a result of the aᴍɴɪᴏᴛᴏᴍʏ, which involves making a tiny opening in the ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴛʜɪɴ ᴘʟᴀsᴛɪᴄ ʜᴏᴏᴋ.