# What was your first sign of labor?



## WillaIris

Anxiously awaiting to go into labor and I'm only 37 weeks + 4 days... I have one child but never went into labor with her, she was born at 33 weeks via emergency c-section. I have read so many different ways of knowing your in labor and wondering if anyone wants to share their experience with the first sign of labor for them...


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## Maxy1

With DS i felt unwell and skipped eating dinner. This was quite a biggie because I had been ravenous my whole third tri. Then about an hour later I had my bloody show, a bit of vomiting and then full on contractions!! Labour was 4 hours!

Gotta say I am hoping for the same speedy process with this one. I am glad i missed the diarrhea version which seems to be really common.


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## Candipot

With both my previous I just started getting crampy contractions, went in and was told I was in active labour, fully effaced and dilating. This time around it couldnt be more different. I contract daily all day and baby not engaged so havent made much in terms of progress as my cervix was prosteria and couldnt even be checked (but considering its position it is doubtful anything was happening) hoping that by my next appointment on Friday much has changed! My EDD is this Friday so hold thumbs he either arrives before then or I am found to be favourable for an induction on Friday as he will weigh about 4kg on Friday which is 8lb 13.09 which is my biggest baby and I wouldnt want him too big for me to birth vaginally. I want to avoid a c section.


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## teal

My first sign was my waters breaking, 30 seconds later I had my first contraction, less than 7 hrs later he was here :)


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## Notabene

I had been walking loads on the day I went into labour with my first. In the early evening I noticed my bump was very 'hard'. Then around 11.30pm just as I was off to bed, I had my first contraction. My son was born 26 hours after the first contraction *fingers crossed for a speedier labour this time around!* Teehee... ;)

I never had a show and my waters didn't break till many hours later.

I hope you have a lovely birth Willairis! x x


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## Mummy May

With DD my waters broke so I kinda knew labour was coming (she was born 12 hours later) and with DS contractions started really mild at 8pm so i went to bed, they woke me up at 12.20am and he was born at 9.08am xx xx


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## Seity

My first sign of labor both times, was labor. LOL Regular contractions leading to a baby that day.


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## tristansmum

Lots and lots of discharge.... Plug came away for 48 hours. Also lots of bowel movements. On the day I went into Labour I had alot of regular Braxton hicks contractions which became more and more frequent and suddenly turned into real painful contractions.


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## fxmummyduck

Um having to think back...the week before I had regular braxton hicks (painful ones! Ha ha!) For 4 hours, other days I felt quite sick and diarrhoea a few times so I felt like all the hormones were kicking in. The morning I went into labour I had braxton hicks again all morning, then regular contractions from late afternoon 4.30ish I think, went to the hospital midnight and he was born in the morning. My show was around 1am and my waters broke when I was nearly fully dilated during the force of a contraction and being sick! Lol! :)


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## MindUtopia

Mine was my waters breaking. I was 37 + 5 and had absolutely no idea that I might be anywhere close to giving birth. I assumed at had another 3-5 weeks left! I felt great, totally normal, never had any BH even before then, woke up in the middle of the night to waters going and knew instantly what it was (in fact, I'm pretty sure I sat up in bed and said, 'oh shit'). Had a bit of a bloody show and clear out within about an hour of that, and the start of mild period cramps just after that, was in established labour a couple hours later and my daughter was born at home (planned home birth) about 12 hours after waters went. 

In retrospect, I did have A LOT of clear discharge the day before (my friend calls this 'baby goo'), it was really noticeable, so much so that I thought I had some sort of infection like BV or thrush because it was so much that it was starting to be a bit itchy. I was also unusually emotional the night before and I hadn't been emotional at all during pregnancy. But I cried the entire way home about what a terrible mother I was likely to be! :dohh: Likely, that was just my hormones ramping up and getting ready to go into labour, but I had no idea at the time. I actually gave my husband a book I wanted him to read on birth that night before bed and joked that he better start reading it soon or I would go into labour before he had a chance and he wouldn't know what to do....funny enough, my waters went 4 hours later!


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## pinkpolkadot

I was awoken by contractions which were similar to period pain but in regular intervals to begin with and they just steadily got stronger!


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## Mrsb3

My waters went! Yep like on the films lol - apparently though I had been having mild contractions all day when I was cleaning windows, doing gardening etc... Must have been too busy to notice since you get all kinds of aches and pains towards the end. With my first though the first sign if labour was needing to use the toilet A LOT (sorry tmi ) my bowels went crazy then the contractions begun....


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## ClairAye

Nothing with my first, I sat up in bed at 3am and my waters just gushed and mildly regular cramps with my second which started the day before I went into labour, then I had them again the next morning but they stopped, then came back in the evening as proper contractions :)


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## NG09

I woke at 3 am, felt like I couldn't get comfortable, went for a wee and my waters broke! Took me a minute to realise what happening! Hope you don't have too long a wait :)


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## Alyssa Drough

Nothing, nothing, nothing... aaaaaaaaaaaand then I get woken up at 4am by a mild contraction - stood up and there went my waters! Gave birth about 10 hours later.

I remember saying once how it annoyed me that TV & film always show waters breaking as the very first sign cos it's more dramatic but isn't that realistic - and then it happens to me!


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## Krippy

Unbearable back pain


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## BigLegEmma

Notabene said:


> I had been walking loads on the day I went into labour with my first. In the early evening I noticed my bump was very 'hard'. Then around 11.30pm just as I was off to bed, I had my first contraction. My son was born 26 hours after the first contraction *fingers crossed for a speedier labour this time around!* Teehee... ;)
> 
> I never had a show and my waters didn't break till many hours later.
> 
> I hope you have a lovely birth Willairis! x x

Ooooo I hope that's like me. I've been up and down to the bathroom for wees all night and the contractions I've been having for days have finally moved to my back and are stronger - still not worth writing home about, though - I think my temperature's up, but no show or waters breaking yet. Cervix was still closed at appointment a few days ago, but I feel things are definitely moving along. I'm also remembering what period pain was like, boooo! That was a favourite thing about being pregnant, no periods!


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## m.knight

Woke up at 3.30 am at 40+1 and had loads of clear mucus with blood streaks in when I wiped. Went on all morning then gentle contractions started about 6 hours later, like period pains but about 30 mins apart. Baby came the next day at 5.42pm! Absolutely no warning at all, went to bed as normal the night before.


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## mummytobe_93

Period like pains and a clear out but that happened for weeks before I went into labour!


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## ParisJeTadore

Mine was pretty straight forward. First sign was losing my plug in the morning when I went to use the loo. By late afternoon I started to have very dull aches in my backside, by night time they seemed stronger and could actually be timed (except I was still in denial at this point and refused to believe I was in labour, lol! I hear this is common.).


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## cruise

In retrospect I had a lot of warning signs long before the actual thing.

First was BH increasing in frequency and pain about two weeks before.
Also about two weeks before lost lots of bits of mucus plug, no blood.

Then about 4 days before was blood tinged discharge, not the bloody show. I sure thought it was though! The discharge was off and on.

Then 2 days before I had a sweep as I was overdue. But it didn't do anything I think, no increase in BH or anything.

Then 1 day before I had the real bloody show. LOTS and lots of blood in giant clumps.

Actual labor started as underwhelming. Thought it was BH for the longest time... then I started thinking, mmm, a giant needle stuck in my spine to relieve pain sounds like a great idea.

I'll note I had no increase in dilation, effacement, etc thru all this. I was 1 cm dilated at 40+1, was at hospital at 3cm dilated 6 hours into early labor. My active labor lasted less than 2 hours, didn't even get an epi :(


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## Mrs HM

I had period like cramps as I got into bed and told my DH that I didn't think I'd be able to sleep through them as they were quite painful. Well, I woke up a full 8 hours later lol to my waters breaking and painful, regular contractions began about 3-4 hours later. I was 36weeks so wasn't expecting anything to happen just yet.


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## ashlee2916

a couple of days before i went into labour i remember my tummy making the wierdest loudest sounds ever, and it started of with a couple shooting pains down my back!
i woke up the following morning to have pains in my tummy


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## Attalu

I woke up at 2am having contractions, I had no signs before that.
I was 10 days overdue and completely convinced I was going to be induced up until that point.


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## BigLegEmma

cruise said:


> In retrospect I had a lot of warning signs long before the actual thing.
> 
> First was BH increasing in frequency and pain about two weeks before.
> Also about two weeks before lost lots of bits of mucus plug, no blood.
> 
> Then about 4 days before was blood tinged discharge, not the bloody show. I sure thought it was though! The discharge was off and on.
> 
> Then 2 days before I had a sweep as I was overdue. But it didn't do anything I think, no increase in BH or anything.
> 
> Then 1 day before I had the real bloody show. LOTS and lots of blood in giant clumps.
> 
> Actual labor started as underwhelming. Thought it was BH for the longest time... then I started thinking, mmm, a giant needle stuck in my spine to relieve pain sounds like a great idea.
> 
> I'll note I had no increase in dilation, effacement, etc thru all this. I was 1 cm dilated at 40+1, was at hospital at 3cm dilated 6 hours into early labor. My active labor lasted less than 2 hours, didn't even get an epi :(

Thanks, this gives me hope! :)


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## cruise

You poor thing, 42 weeks! Hope today is the day.


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## BigLegEmma

cruise said:


> You poor thing, 42 weeks! Hope today is the day.

Thanks, cruise :) Cervix still closed. :( 

Tried everything, really don't want to be induced - would be more open to the idea if my cervix were open...maybe - but I think we'll have to reassess midweek if there's no change. I was 3wks over, but I was also 10lbs1/4.5kg lol


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## cruise

That sucks :( Hope it can open soon for induction. Are you having any of the symptoms I described above? Forgot to also mention -- increased discharge about 6 days before the real thing, to the point where it'd make small wet spots on pantyliner.

I was 1 cm dilated for what seemed like forever. A month for sure. 

It seems like reading all those posts from other ladies who are walking around 2 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm dilated that labor is a gradual thing, but it isn't according to OB. Labor is what brings on dilation. 

Fingers crossed for you and your LO to come out NOW.


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## BigLegEmma

Crossing mine too, and my toes! 

I've had all the symptoms apart from a heavy bloody show, but spaced apart over the past two weeks. Annoying thing is, I know I've been having contractions last night and today and the doctor's like, "You're not having contractions," while looking at the printout, and I'm thinking, the only reason anything showed up on that is 'cause we repositioned it; for the first 5mins it wasn't picking anything up 'cause the sensor thingie had slipped down. So silly; it's hardly accurate. 

OH can feel my muscles relax after a contraction if he puts his hand on my belly so I know I'm not imagining them, contrary to what the hospital were saying. I could barely sleep last night for them! Also, OH said during my non-stress test that every time I felt a contraction, just afterwards, the baby moved so she can feel them too. 

If I have the pessary inserted, I have to stay in hospital, and I really want to labour at home until as late as possible, but if nothing happens, I don't really have a choice. :(


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## cruise

Wow, sounds like you are having tons of false labor like I did... so annoying, isn't it. :( 

Be careful about staying home -- I don't know if it had anything to do with the false labor, but comparing experiences with my friends, they didn't nearly have as much or painful false labor, but their real labor was much longer and mine was so quick. 

If I'd stayed home for 2 hours when the ctx began getting 3 minutes apart like the midwife told me to repeatedly, I'd be pushing before we even left home. lol. And even then it was still irregular. It didn't get regular until active labor.

The only "definite" sign was pain level and even that that was only towards the end of the early labor stage which is when we left for hospital. Otherwise it was indistinguishable from false labor.

You are not crazy!! Fingers crossed for your bloody show soon or something definite. And hopefully all this suffering does add up to a quick active labor!


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## zanDark

Lots of mucousy discharge with blood in it. Yuck lol


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## xx Emily xx

My first sign was a massive contraction!! 4 contractions later waters went then 3 n half hours later she was here!!

Em xxx


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## wishuwerehere

With both i started having crampy contractions, went to the loo and had some blood.


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## Dragonfly

Mucas plug was before that and tiny . A pain in my ass. true story. A sharp pain in my anus. That got worse. I was told I was suppose to get sore bump, tightening but all my labors where in my ass and then hips. Water broke.


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## Bevziibubble

I just woke up at 6am one morning with the most painful cramps. They just came out of nowhere. They stopped after a bit and restarted at midnight, then I gave birth the next day.


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## Hunbun

With my first I had a little show but the I didn't really know until the contractions started. With my second I had no show and didn't have any signs until the contractions started. 

My water didn't break until really late with both of them.


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## Girly922

I woke up to my waters breaking. I had had my bloody show the day before, not that I was convinced it was my bloody show until I went into labour.


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## Tillys_Mum

Losing my mucus plug in the two days before (bloody snot - nice!) and then labour started as dull cramps gradually building through the day


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