So my timeline was: water broke at 6 am, put on pit drip at 2 pm, delivered baby at 11 pm. If you're under the care of a midwife, the tend to allow women to go longer, maybe 36-48 hours. Each day can be different. After my water broke, my OB gave me 6 hours to get labor going- and when it didn't I was given pitocin so I could avoid a c-section. How long you can go after your water breaks will depend on where you are in the pregnancy and whether the risk of infection outweighs the risk of a preterm birth. 1. How long can a pregnant woman not eat for til its bad for ba *Alexandra8* 1 child; British Columbia 3711 posts Jan 13th '10 i always wondered, like if anyone was evern stranded in the forest or somewhere and pregnant, and they could not eat for days if their baby would die... sometimes i will go rgiht from breakfast to dinner without eating and i wonder if it has an effect on baby?? It's one of the early symptoms of labor in about 25% of women, but in some cases, the process occurs during labor. You'll be offered an induction if you don't because, without amniotic fluid, … ? However, if there are no signs of infection or fetal health problems, research suggests that pregnancy can safely be allowed to continue as long as it's carefully monitored. For others, it's a gush. Pregnant women have long been told that when their water breaks, they should be ready to deliver the baby within 24 hours to avoid infection. Water Breaks. Usually 24 hours. If you're between 24 and 34 weeks pregnant, your health care provider will try to delay delivery until your baby is more developed. A hospice patient of mine lived for over 2 weeks without eating or drinking anything. As a general rule of thumb, a person can survive without water for about 3 days. Sit with her, hold her hand. We want to DO something. It's so hard to "sit and wait" for life to end. However, some factors, such as how much water an individual body needs, and how it uses water, can affect this. However, if you are near or at term the timeframe is typically 24 hours before the risk of infection will set in. If labour doesn't start after your waters break. Use a sanitary pad (not a tampon) so your midwife can check the colour of the waters. It's mind boggling. Or, maybe she just did it that day. Maybe the "old" nurse can get her to eat and drink when no one else can. Most women go into labour within 24 hours of their waters breaking. The process of leaking amniotic fluid from the sac is called the breaking of water. For some women, it's a little trickle.