There are many women who want to know what it feels like when their water breaks. Furthermore, they want to distinguish between your water breaking and peeing your pants. As difficult as it is to tell, the right thing to do if you think your water has broken is to go to the hospital and get checked out. Your doctor or nurse will be able to tell you if the fluid you’re experiencing is amniotic fluid or not, which will help you find the answer to what the watery discharge that feels like you peed yourself is.

A bag of amniotic fluid surrounds your unborn baby during pregnancy to protect it from infection. Eventually, your water bag will rupture, resulting in your water breaking.

In the event that you think your water broke, put on some dry, clean underwear and a pad or pantyliner and lie on your back for about 30 minutes. Then, stand up and pay close attention to how you feel, if there’s a gush, then it’s very likely that your water did break. Otherwise, if your pad is still wet, it could indicate that your water is broken. The best way to find out is to have a health care provider check you.

How Long After Your Waters Break Should You Go to Hospital?

It is important that you visit the hospital and get checked out, if your water isn’t broken and you require intervention the hospital would be the best place to be. The vagina contains different types of bacteria called Microbiome. However, it’s only good when it’s in the right place. It usually isn’t harmful, but the bacteria can move and infect the membranes that surround the baby. As a result, chorioamnionitis or other serious pregnancy complications may occur.

When Is Your Water Most Likely to Break?

In most cases, this occurs when the woman is already in labor, however, in 8 to 10% of cases, it occurs even before she goes in labor. If you’re uncertain whether you have water or pee, you will have to pay attention to two key things: the odor and the color.

Whenever water breaks, a baby’s head acts as a plug. When this happens, you get uncontrollable trickles. If you have an uncontrollable trickle, go to the bathroom and empty your bladder. Wear a pantyliner as well. If you continue to leak over the next 30 to 45 minutes, please contact your healthcare provider.

How To Tell If Your Water Broke or You Peed

If you are experiencing a watery discharge that feels like you peed yourself, you can look out for the following; if the discharge is urine, it would have an acidic smell that is typical for urine and which is really unique in that sense, however, the amniotic fluid is very different so the first distinct sign that your water broke is that the liquid that you’re leaking does not really smell, but this is not enough to prove that your water broke because vaginal discharge does not smell either.

It is for this reason that you would also have to pay attention to its color, if it appears to be white and a bit creamy then it is probably vagina discharge.

Urine, on the other hand, may have many different colors but it normally does have color. Urine is usually not clear and, in most cases, it will have a yellowish color, depending on how much fluids you have been consuming.

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What Brown Amniotic Fluid Means

If your waters break then you would normally observe a liquid that appears to be clear or paler than urine or vaginal discharge. If you’re leaking a liquid that has a clear or an almost clear color then it could be a sign that your water broke.

Keep in mind that clear is what the amniotic fluid would normally look like unless there are incidents that change the color of the amniotic fluid.

One occurrence that would change the amniotic fluid is when the baby poops in the womb. Babies usually have their first bowel movement within 12 hours after they are born. The baby’s first stool is called Meconium, which has a dark green or black color.

How Common is Meconium in the Womb?

According to this study about 12-20% of all pregnancies result in the baby having its first bowel movement while still inside the womb, which means that the liquid you are leaking when your water breaks will have a greenish or yellow-green color. If that is the case, be sure to tell your doctor right away.

A lot of fluids leaking may indicate that your water is broken. Most women describe it as a gush, and in that case, it is likely that their water has broken. Others, however, may only notice a trickle at a time, making it difficult to tell if it’s urine or amniotic fluid.

Go To the Hospital If You Are Leaking Amniotic Fluid

Don’t hesitate to go back to the hospital to be checked out again if you still leak after being sent home by the hospital. It can sometimes be mucus and discharge if they check you and there is no break in your water.

Unfortunately, this can happen at any point in your pregnancy, hopefully much later rather than earlier, so you should seek treatment if you think your water has broken as soon as you feel any leaking, you should go to the restroom and empty your bladder, put on a pantyliner if you have one, and then go to the hospital to be evaluated if the leaking persists for more than an hour.

How To Tell If Your Water Broke or Its Just Discharge

Pregnancy can cause you to have more mucus and discharge, making it seem like you’re always dripping. The important thing is to have your waters checked out if they seem to be broken.

During pregnancy, it’s common to have increased leukorrhea, which is the result of hormonal changes. For the most part, this isn’t a cause for concern; however, if you are experiencing abnormal discharge, which can include itching, burning, discoloration, or odor, it is important to speak to a doctor. In most cases, you will be asked to come into the office and be examined.

You may experience a sudden gush or trickle of fluid followed by an unusual amount of dampness in your underwear that did not smell of urine. Small amounts of fluid indicate that the wetness is a result of vaginal discharge or urine.

Final Thought

It is normal for a bit of urine to leak during pregnancy. While pregnant you may at one time or another experience a watery discharge that feels like you peed yourself. There is no need to be embarrassed.

It’s best to empty your bladder in a nearby bathroom, wear a sanitary pad or pantyliner, and then check for any leakage of fluid. If it’s yellow, it’s probably urine, if it’s clear, it’s probably amniotic fluid. Many people feel an increase in pressure after the water breaks, either in the pelvic area or around the perineum. The amniotic fluid creates a cushion for the baby’s head, but once the cushion disappears, the baby will move down even further, increasing the pressure.  

Keep track of the time when you first felt the leak and the color of it. Ether call your doctor or go to the hospital.