Premature labour
If your waters have broken (called preterm pre-labour rupture of membranes, P-PROM), there's an increased risk of infection for you and your baby.
You'll be offered:
P-PROM doesn't definitely mean you're going into labour. You may be able to go home if there's no infection and you don't go into labour within 48 hours.
If you go home, you'll be advised to tell your midwife immediately if:
The signs of premature labour can be similar to the signs of labour that starts at full term, and may include: contractions, period-type pains, breaking of the waters, etc.
Your midwife or doctor should discuss with you the symptoms of pre-term labour, and offer checks to see if you're in labour.
Babies born before full term (before 37 weeks) are vulnerable to problems associated with being born premature. The earlier in the pregnancy a baby is born, the more vulnerable they are.