I agree, at least now from my amnio I know what to look for when my water does break. :)
When my water broke there was a slight *pop* noise (anyone who has heard it knows what I am talking about) and then a gush of liquid. Then it just stopped about a half and hour I got another gush and then it would just trickle and everyonce in a while gush. When it happens it doesn't smell like pee at all I can't even describe it and it isn't bright yellow like pee but rather a tannish yellow.
I was leaking fluid the day that my water broke and it was a little slimy and it was clear. Reminded me of semen. Another rule of thumb is to smell it. If it smells like pee, it probably is pee. But amniotic fluid is supposed to smell a little sweet, at least more sweet than sour. Mine definitely had a different smell, not something I had smelled before! I leaked a little bit of fluid at a time, hours apart...about 12 hours from when I first noticed it is when my water broke! And when it broke, it was definitely a yellowish color and there was TONS of it!!!!!
You're totally right! Most women expect a gush or a downpour but the baby's head acts as a plug which can cause trickling or one big gush before the head plugs everything up.
I had my water broken in the hospital and it was brownish-green because my baby decided she couldn't "hold it" any longer (in other words, she had her first BM in utero). That is actually dangerous so if your water breaks and you see brown-green liquid, get to the ER ASAP.