Do contractions always start before your water breaks, or is it the other way around sometimes? I was thinking it would be good if the water broke first, that way you would know it was the real thing and not false labor.

It can be either way as to how you feel it. But contractions happen first.
I know with my first my water broke right about the same time my water broke, which worked out well. With my second I had contractions for hours before my water broke, which they broke for me and that sucked, lol.

My contractions would not stop for anything! The doctors did not want me to give birth to him too early, so they actually stopped it twice. Then found out I needed to have a surgery atop of it (my gallbladder taken out), so then wanted to induce me. I told them they need to wait a week, my sons nursery wasn't finished yet. :) And they broke my water, so I have no idea if that should happen first, but it wouldn't be weird if it did?

Spontaneous rupture of the membranes only happens in 10% of women. I was one of them-guess I'm just lucky!

My contractions didn't really get intense for about two hours after they went and my daughter was born six hours later.

My water had to be broke with both of my babies, (this was in the olden days no epideral etc.:)), but prior the contractions with daughter had been going on a good 18 hours, and the boy three (yes, I said three) days! Thank God for modern medicine girls they didn't use to treat us so good! :):(

Gosh, that was an awfully long labour. I didn't even labour that long with twins! My water broke for the first on it's own and was broken using the hook for the second.

Gosh, that was an awfully long labour yep it was, i was 'stuck' at a '4' that entire weekend, (friday-monday), damn doc didn't want to have to go to work till monday, had me go to the hospital (again, I'd already went in twice), they put a drip on me about 7am that monday and he was born (postierior i might add, without assistance), five hours later. Took a pretty bad toll on my body/health as well as our sons...That doc, 'disappeared' from our community within a year. I wasn't the only mother that had an awful time!

Was your son ok? In the long run too. I hope he didn't have any lasting problems because of it, that kind of thing puts and awful stress on a baby, especially with being posterior presentation. I have seen some of the worse bruising ever on babies born this way.

I don't think I have ever met anyone that didn't have to have their water broken, cept one time with my mom (the year I was born, haha). Everyone else I know got the contractions first, like me with my son, I got them weeks before he was due, they stopped me twice.