Q: What about cases where the amniotic fluid refuses to rapture and there are contractions?

A: For most women, their waters will break during labour at the peak of contractions. However, in some other women, it doesn’t.

In some, labour may proceed slowly leaving the doctor to take a call on that amniotic sac that refuses to break. This will usually involve manual rupture of the amniotic sac using a sterile plastic hook inserted into the pregnant woman’s vagina. This hook is used to pull on the amniotic sac until it ruptures. This is thought to speed up the contractions and labour. However, some studies suggest that this may not necessarily speed up labour so that some schools of thought prefer to rupture the amniotic sac only if the baby’s head has descended low enough to cover the mouth of the womb. You will be guided by your doctor.

In some rare cases, the baby may actually be born with some portion of the amniotic sac attached to them or born completely inside the sac. Both situations can be addressed by the attending medical team

Have a great evening y’all J