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with my son i was in labor for 5 hours before i went into the hospital and it was another hour before my water broke. At that time i didnt feel like taking a shower. With my daughter my water broke while i was sleeping...it woke me up at about 630am. I called my doctors officed because i wasnt having contractions and was supprised. They said it wasnt abnormal and it just meant i had time. They said take your time..."have a shower, eat breakfast and get a babysitter for your son. When you start to have contractions come on in." so depending on when your water breaks then you should be able to.

Hi Bonnie and agtemt, I was told differently by my doctor, I was told that if my water should break whether or not I am having contractions it is important to call your doctor and make your way straight to the hospital, the reason being that the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby is what keeps the whole environment sterile for baby, when that water breaks it is easy to get an infection which may not hurt you but hurt the baby (which is why you shouldn't bathe or shower), also they need to monitor how much fluid is around the baby to determine whether he is safe, if you have lost a lot of fluid they would like for your contractions to get going and may induce your labor, if there is sufficient fluid they allow you to labor normally. Basically you need to call your doctor immediately for advice, doctors seem to differ on a few things so I'm just telling you what my doctor told me. Good luck.

My doc advised me as I got to be full term that I could shower only if my water had not broken, once it broke , no shower. At the hospital I had to have my water broken, so it wasn't an issue. I would follow your docs advice though.

Wow thats really supprising. Not only was i told i could take a shower before i cam in but while i was at the hospital, the stadol was wearing off and i was getting some harder contractions. They offered me several things to try and relax and one of them was a hot shower.

i cant understand why you couldnt shower. I understand infections etc but if your not using soap or body wash around that area i couldnt see a problem. At the hospital im sure they do alot more poking and prodding which would have a greater chance of introducing germs compared o a shower.

jessica is partially right. Amniotic flid is sterile but you do not have rush in. I did take a shower afterr my water broke because it was everywhere, iwasn't having contractions and did not until about 6 hours later. I wish I would have stayed home becuse those hospital beds were terribly uncomfortable. You are only at risk of Sepsis the infection that Jessica is talking about after your water has been broken an extended amount of time That is around 24 hours which was what happened to me, at that point people started moving a little faster and were whispering about C section. I was able to deliver v____ally, but my baby was kept for observation just in case she did have Sepsis.

you can shower after your water breaks. you can not take a bath. because of risk of infection you can submerge yourself into water. but a shower is completely different. infact, with my first son i took like 3 showers at the hospital before delivering. the hot water is very comforting when you are having contractions.

so how does this explain water birth you waters will be brocken at the time so what is the real chance of getting infections just like you agtemt i have a bithing plan and if i feel like it at the time i will be in a hot bath or shower i guess it is up to you in the end but i just can not understand this whole not being able to shower or bath when there are waters births ????

my waters broke, followed by no contractions. so i took my time, showered packed my bags and i rang the hospital, they told me to come in some time that day. i did, still no contractions i slept there over night, woke up, had another shower then got induced:)

I was able to have a shower as well, it really helped take the edge off the contractions and helped me to relax so I could dialate faster. I pretty sure it's just a bath you can't take because the bacteria in the water could cause an infection but if you're in a shower it's not as likely because the water is running down your body.

This is partly for renaye's question - My waters broke while I was in the bath (at the birth centre) & I had a completely drug free water birth with my ds (born 9lb 3oz) who is now 9mths and didn't have any problems or infection & can highly recommend it (even if you don't want to birth in the water having a bath is heavenly during those really painful contractions). The chance of infection are quite low unless the bath used is not properly sterilized first. I also used the shower to begin with and the hot running water really does help with pain relief. You are more likely to get an infection with them prodding and poking down there than you are having a shower. Having a shower at home (in most cases) would be perfectly safe & so long as your waters were clear when they broke you shouldn't need to rush to the hospital.

I agree with Renaye; my hospital has jacuzzy in their rooms in order to help manage the pain, so I'm sure it's not a problem.

best thing to do is to ask your doctor if you should shower or not. If you feel it will make you more comfortable be sure to let them know. They know all the details of your pregnancy and will know the safest thing for you. They may even have one specially made for you. Never know-but you'll be more likely to get the best straight answer from the doctor. Good luck!

if showering wasn't allowed after water breaks, why are there water births? i mean isn't that kinda the same thing? see i'm confused because i want to go medless and am looking into water births. i mean i have a way to go lol, but hey i like to plan ahead.

Teddyfinch if you are aiming for a natural birth I can HIGHLY recommend a water birth, & good on you for not jumping at the chance to be drugged up like soooo many others. As stated above I had a completely natural water birth with ds & plan to with this one (a__suming I have another low risk preg). There is nothing wrong with planning ahead & what you do now can have a huge affect on how you deliver. I recommend reading 'NEW ACTIVE BIRTH' by Janet Balaskas. It will help you understand how & why our bodies are so efficient at giving birth without drugs & interventions, & what you can do to help put bubs in an optimum position for labour & delivery. Goodluck :)

a friend of mine had a baby in March and she took a bath at the hospital AFTER her water broke so I guess it's ok. I think every doctor has different ideas of what you can and can't do.