Brown — May happen right after periods as your body is “cleaning out” your vagina. Old blood looks brown. Spotting blood — This may occur mid-cycle or when ovulating. Sometimes early in pregnancy you may have spotting or a brownish discharge at the time your period would normally come.

Sometimes, brown discharge may indicate that labor is near. If a woman experiences brown discharge in the last days before labor, it may be something known as the “bloody show.” This is discharge tinged with pink, red, or brown blood, and it is a sign that labor will begin shortly.

The most common cause for brown discharge is irritation. The surge of hormones and increased blood flow throughout your body during pregnancy makes the cervix super sensitive, and sex during pregnancy or a pelvic exam can aggravate it. That results in a bit of brown discharge or light spotting.

It’s normal to have more vaginal discharge during pregnancy because your body is producing more estrogen, which signals the vagina to produce more discharge. Having dark discharge or light brown discharge when you’re pregnant can be worrying. Most of the time, it’s nothing to be concerned about.

Place a sanitary pad or panty liner in your underwear and examine the fluid that is on the pad after 30 minutes to an hour. If the fluid is yellow in color, it’s likely urine. If it isn’t, the fluid could be amniotic fluid.

The signs of water breaking include feeling a slow leak or a sudden gush of water. Some women feel a slight pop, while others might feel fluid coming out in bursts as they change positions.

Women are often in labor before their water breaks—in fact, the strong contractions during active labor can cause the rupture. But women can also experience their water breaking spontaneously without having a contraction, Groenhout says.

While less common (and more present in literature outside the United States), your caregiver may give you up to 96 hours after your water breaks to begin labor on your own. This is, of course, if you aren’t showing signs of infection and your baby shows no signs of distress.

So once the water bag breaks, it is very important to go to the hospital so the doctor can check the health of the pregnancy and proceed with assisting labor, if necessary, to minimize the time of labor and the risk of infection. Complications are rare, but it is still important to check in at the hospital.

Sometimes, water breaks while you’re sleeping. If you’re concerned about flooding the bed, consider protecting your mattress with a waterproof cover.

Our general rule is to sleep as long as possible if you’re starting to feel contractions at night. Most of the time you can lay down and rest during early labor. If you wake up in the middle of the night and notice contractions, get up and use the bathroom, drink some water, and GO BACK TO BED.

It should be clear and colorless. If your water is green or brown, it could indicate your baby passed meconium — the first poop — in utero and may be a sign of distress. Your doctor or midwife will likely want you to come to the hospital soon, so they can assess the color of the fluid and baby’s well-being.