Inducing labour after your waters break

The waters are the fluid-filled membranes around the baby. Once they rupture, clinicians assess whether labour has started, whether the fluid is clear, and how you and the baby are doing. If contractions do not begin or there is a reason to avoid waiting, induction can encourage the uterus to contract and labour to progress.

The plan changes with gestational age. When the waters break before labour and the pregnancy is still preterm, the team may focus on monitoring, infection prevention, and the baby’s development rather than immediate induction. Read more about [Preterm Labour](/conditions/preterm-labour/).

Contact your maternity unit promptly if you think your waters have broken, even when the fluid leak is small or contractions are absent. Note when the leaking started, the fluid’s colour and smell, and whether your baby is moving normally. Use a maternity pad rather than inserting anything into the vagina, and follow the unit’s instructions about eating, bathing, examinations, and coming in for assessment.

At the hospital, checks may include your temperature, pulse, blood pressure, abdominal examination, fetal heart monitoring, and an examination to confirm the membranes have ruptured. The team can explain the proposed method, expected monitoring, pain-relief choices, and what happens if induction does not establish labour.

Seek urgent maternity advice for fever or feeling unwell, fluid that is green, brown, or foul-smelling, fresh bleeding, severe or constant abdominal pain, regular painful contractions, reduced baby movements, or anything protruding from the vagina. Call emergency services if you have heavy bleeding, severe breathing difficulty, collapse, or the baby appears to be coming before help is available.

Ask why induction is recommended now, how your pregnancy stage changes the plan, which method will be offered first, how infection and the baby’s heart rate will be monitored, and what alternatives exist if induction is delayed or does not work. Ask when you should return or call after going home.