I’m popping on for a relaxed 30-minute live Q&A where you can bring along any questions you have about pregnancy, birth, preparing for baby or those early weeks. No presentation. No set topic. Just a chance to jump on, ask what’s been on your mind, and have a chat. You’re welcome to come along even if you don’t have a question yet. Sometimes the best questions are the ones someone else asks! 30-minute Live Q&A Thursday 1st Oct 2026 10.00am Pop it in your calendar and come join me. I’d love to see you there. https://www.skool.com/bellies-to-babies-support-hub-2294/calendar?eid=a3204939d01045a0944d38274964015e&eoid=1790829000

We tend to picture waters breaking as the moment labour begins. Waters break. Contractions kick in. Grab the bags. Baby is coming. Except sometimes your waters break... and then absolutely nothing happens. No contractions. No sudden rush. Maybe just a trickle of fluid and you sitting there wondering, okay... now what? If your waters break before labour has established, this is called prelabour rupture of membranes (PROM). For some women contractions will begin fairly soon afterwards, while for others there can be a bit of a wait. If you think your waters have broken, let your midwife know, even if you're feeling well and aren't having contractions. They'll usually want to know things like when you first noticed the fluid, whether it was a gush or trickle, what colour it is, whether it continues to leak and how baby is moving. Clear, pale or slightly pink fluid can be normal. Green or brown fluid, significant bleeding, an unpleasant smell, feeling unwell or a change in your baby's usual movements are all reasons to contact your midwife promptly. And if you're less than 37 weeks, don't wait for contractions to start. Contact your maternity care provider. If everything is looking okay and you've been advised you can stay home for a while, you don't necessarily need to spend the next few hours desperately trying to get labour going. Eat. Drink. Rest. Potter around. Have a shower. Watch something. Try to sleep if it's nighttime. Save your energy. Sometimes labour simply needs a little time to get underway. If contractions don't begin, your midwife or maternity team will talk with you about what happens next. Because the risk of infection increases after the membranes have ruptured, there may come a point when induction is recommended. And remember, you don't need to decide whether something is “important enough” before calling your midwife. If you're unsure, something has changed, or you simply have that feeling that you need to check in, make the call.

Let's imagine you're 39 weeks pregnant. You're at home one evening and something feels... different. You've had a few mild cramps. There's a bit more discharge than usual. Baby feels low. But there's certainly no dramatic gush of waters followed by contractions two minutes apart! What would you do? A. Grab the hospital bag. This is it! B. Start timing every little sensation. C. Call my midwife and check in. D. Carry on with my evening and see what develops. E. I genuinely wouldn't know what to do. Pop your answer below. I'm curious to see what everyone would choose. And if this scenario has just made you realise, "Actually... how WILL I know when labour is starting?", I've got a lesson waiting for you in the Labour & Birth classroom: Labour Doesn't Usually Start Like the Movies It covers what the beginning of labour can really look like, the subtle things you might notice, and what you can do during those early hours.