HELP!!! Am I leaking amniotic fluid??

Hey ladies...I need some help with this one.  I'm 38w 1d.  At about 5:30 this morning i hadn't really felt the baby kick all night so i stood up to get my home doppler and felt a little gush...enough to soak my underwear...but not enough to leak onto my pants.  I changed and got back into bed - not sure if I peed myself or if my water had broken/started leaking...around 6am we decided to call my doc (he's on vaca - had to go to the hospital and see the doc on call).  There was really no leaking after the initial gush (just a tiny tiny bit) and the doctor said that I am completely effaced, not dilated at all, and my waters had not ruptured.  He sent us home...on the way home at around 9am we stopped to get breakfast...standing in line in the deli it happened again!!!  I gush - again enough to soak my undies (not my pants) and there was some white discharge (sorry tmi).  My pee has been bright yellow all morning - seems very concentrated...but this fluid is clear and doesn't smell like urine.  Since the second gush I've not had anymore leaking...what's going on???  Should I call the doctor back?  He just sent me home & told me my water hadn't broken.  Can I possibly have peed myself TWICE this morning??? HELP!!!  Is there anyway to tell if it's maybe a slow leak?

[kellym]

Did they take any test on the fluid or just check you internally?

[sallystar]

there was not fluid by the time i got to the hospital - it was that initial gush and I changed my underwear...and didn't have any more leaking on the way there.  he examined me internally - and PAINFULLY!

[Weaversgirl]

Next time it happens, put your panties in a zip-lock baggie and take them with you. From what ive heard the smell of your membranes is kinda sweet smelling, and looks like the color of straw. Never smelled membranes or seen it before (with all 3 of my babies they had to rupture them for me and by that time I didnt care to smell or see anything unless it was going to deliver the baby for me lol) but what to expect when your expecting book said thats what it would be like. Good luck!

[kellym]

I never leaked or had my water break (without help) but I thought they did some kind of (litmus?)sp test on your wet spot to check. Hmmm, if it happens again I might would call back. I know it is supposed to replenish slowly though so I would not panic :)

[filbert143]

My water broke with each of my kids.  Both times I was no longer leaking when I got to the hospital.  With my 2nd dd, I brought the towel that I used to clean it up and they tested the towel to confirm it was my water and not anything else.

Are you feeling any contractions?

[newbie2b]

This happened to me a few days after my due date. It worried me enough to send me to labor and delivery @ 4am.  I wore panty liners throughout my whole pregnancy. Well, towards the very end, whatever I was leaking would go past the panty liners and onto my panties AND i wore two of them.  The checked and I wasnt leaking. They told me a good way to know is to lay down. The babies head acts like a cork when your standing and if you are leaking, it might stop when your up and about. But if you lay down, the babys body leans toward your back and if you are leaking, it will trickle out.
Also, for me, it took some extrememly strong contractions to break my water so, it's not as fragile as you think.  I was about 7 cm dialated and already on my epidural before my water broke on its own.  Just a thought. Of course everyone is different.  But it could just be secretions due to all the activity going on down there.  Good luck! I miss being pregnant. It was so exciting :)

[jayme3]

I am also 38 weeks and have had the same thing happen to me the past 2 mornings. My Dr told me that it is probably my plug slowly coming out.  (TMI) mine is kinda like jelly, clearish (gross I know) and has no real scent.  Last night I had irregular contractions for like 3 hours...today I feel crampy.  I was wondering if I should go to L&D too. Keep us posted!!!

[sallystar]

well i just did the test where you lay down & let fluid "pool" for 30 min or so...and then stand up - no more big gushes...so maybe i did just pee myself TWICE in one day!  

No real contractions...well my belly tightens up - but they don't hurt.  they only caught 3 on the monitor the whole time I was at the hospital (3 hours).  

jayme - mine wasn't so much jelly-like - but just like water!!!  and then i peed like 10 min later and it was yellow...so i would have figured if it was pee it would have been yellow too...same with the second gush.  keep me posted & your status!  

oh well...no more gushes...no painful contractions...i will keep all posted...thanks for the advice!

[tiredbuthappy]

see you at lunch????? if not, i'll know why!

[have 2 kids]

Did they test any fluid with a strip ?(can't remember the name) That's the only way for them to know definately.

[sallystar]

I just wrote a message on yahoo!!!  Not gonna make it...just kinda sitting here...but Bren didn't go into work today - so I don't want to leave him!

have 2 kids - they did the test...kind of...there was nothing to test...he said it came back dry...and the nurse said "this paper looks funny - like it's too old or something" - nice, right?

[have 2 kids]

I'd wear a panty liner and if it happens again go right to L&D and have them apply the paper to it.
Seems odd that you peed shortly after and it was yellow and this liquid was clear.  

[sallystar]

I've been peeing all morning - i literally pee like every half hour and it's been bright yellow all morning!  Both gushes were clear...Is it really bad if i am leaking fluid?  I have an u/s on Tuesday...do you think the baby would be okay until then if I were leaking?  I have heard different things - like if I keep drinking plenty of fluids it will keep my levels from getting too low - and also that the bag can essentially re-seal itself sometimes...i really just wish i'd have a strong contraction or a big gush so i'd KNOW what's goign on.  I have an u/s tuesday to see if the baby is too big - and might have to have a c-section scheduled...so I'm kind of nervous about how the babys size could affect all this...

[have 2 kids]

I'm not going to say it's good or bad if you're leaking fluid. But I'll share my experience with you.
When pregnant with my son 7 years ago I had alot of problems and was told to notify the Dr immediately if I leaked any fluid.  I had gone into preterm labor twice.  Eventually I started leaking fluid and went to the hospital.  They tested and were unsure because of so much discharge.  They did an us and all seemed fine.   Went home and it happened again.  Back to the hospital.  Still unsure.  Went back home and baby became very active.  Insanely active.  Kicked me for 6 hrs straight.  I didn't know this was an indication of distress.  My water broke at 4am and I went to the hospital.   They gave me pitocin to induce and nothing happened.  At 9:20 pm I told the nurse I thought something was wrong because suddenly his movements had stopped.  They did us and found the cord around his neck 3 times.  He was delivered by emergency c-section at 9:38 pm.  
Just watch for any changes.  Lack of movement or increase and go with your instincts.

[have 2 kids]

Also, it was recommended back then to not take a bath just incase I was leaking fluid.  Shower only.
I'm not sure if that's still handled the same way.

[pixijal]

Your membranes may be intact, but have a leak.  When I complained to the dr. at  38weeks that I had the same thing as you, he checked, and ran it under a slide to determine if it was amniotic fluid or not.  The first slide came back NOT.  I insisted that my water was leaking.  He had me lay down for twenty minutes, and gathered another sample to run under a slide.  Sure enough, was amniotic fluid.  My water was not broken, but was leaking, and Jake was born 11 hours later.  Thank God he was very thourough, since I had a positive GBS test as well, and needed antibiotics prior to delivery.

[sallystar]

pixi - did contractions start on their own - or did they have to induce you?  this big gush happened almost 12 hours ago...i've been feeling some back-achey pains and TONS of tightening in my stomach...but nothing that would make me rush back into L & D.  I'm starting to think I really did just pee myself...my stomach feels kinda achey (achy) like I've been doing sit ups all day...

have2 - that is so awful!  I can't even think of the right words to say...thank you for telling me your story.  i know it has to take a lot to talk about it...i will definitely be keeping a close on her movements and get my butt back to the hospital if i feel anything weird/or nothing at all.  didn't they have you/the baby constantly monitored in the hospital?  i feel like that was the first thing they did - strap me up to a fetal heart monitor!!!  

[filbert143]

When my water broke (both times) the contractions started an hour or two afterwards.  With my first - I had no idea I was even having contractions!!  When I called the dr she asked if I was having any and I said, no - I'm just feeling crampy.  Then on the way to the hospital, I started timing the "crampiness".  Sure enough they were less than 5 minutes apart!!

[sallystar]

mine is like pressure...like my stomach is just constantly hard...it doesn't hurt at all though. my back is a little achey (achy) - but its constant...this is too much!  i need a gush or some pain or something!!!