How did your labor start?

[alette]

Well, my LO should be here in the next week or two. I am curious what to expect for the start of labor? How did yours start? Was it like... BOOM! Painful Contractions! Or did it start slower? When did you know you were in labor?

 

[0stara]

I had lots of false starts, which was very frustrating. Definitely not like in the movies! I ended up being induced at 40w +12!

My advice - be ready but try not to get your hopes up when you start feeling twinges.

Good luck xx

 

[littlecupcake]

Wss ^^

I was also induced at 40 + 12 so can't help with how it feels to start naturally xx

 

[sequeena]

Mine started slowly. 3 days slow labour actually

I started to lose my plug at 6pm and contractions started at 10pm. Very light at first, just tightenings really. By the time I was in established labour 4 days later (took me that long to dilate beyond 1-2cm) I was in agony. The good news is my established labour was only 3 hours 2 minutes. Once I hit 3cm I dilated very quickly.

First contraction was 39+6, baby arrived at 40+3

 

[LauraLu]

With my daughter (my first), I had my membranes sweeped at 40 weeks (2 cm dilated) on a Friday morning. I had very weird, "achey" pains all weekend. The best way to describe them was the feeling of having painful menstruation cramps.

I went to bad that following Monday night and barely slept because of the pains...contractions! I went in Tuesday and was 5 cm! I delivered her that Tuesday at 3:45pm...So it was a "slow" labor until the day of her birth. Then I went from 7-10cm in an hour.

Your best bet is to rest up now. Don't worry about not recognizing the start of labor. When it's true labor, the pains will NOT stop, no matter what you do!

 

[Kaede351]

I got up for a pee at 3am and my waters broke lol about 2 hours later contractions started about 10 hours after that my little man was born after 2 hours of pushing

XxX

 

[LJ Junior]

I felt absolutely no early labour symptoms. At 38 weeks I lost my plug. Within 30 minutes I was feeling strong contractions 3 minutes apart. Jack was born 3 hours later.
For me, labour was quick and unexpected. And he was my first! I had to call my sister who's had 3 kids to confirm that I was having contractions because I couldn't believe it would happen so quickly. Deep down though I knew it was time.
Just stay calm and enjoy the process. Good luck!

 

[AirForceWife7]

My water broke as soon as I laid down to sleep on Christmas night! x

 

[Al Syr]

I woke up on a friday at 3 am thinking I was constipated. Sorry TMI but I was in bathroom trying to push it out. Every two hours I keot waking up to the same feeling . . . nothing ever came out, at 7 am I started getting what felt to me like Charlies Horse cramps in my uterus. I called my obgyn and the nurse told me to go to L&D, at triage they told me I was only 1.5 cm dilalated (when 2 days before I was 0 cm) they told me I was not in labor. The rest of the day I kept getting these cramps every hour, then moved to every half hour then every 15 minutes . . . I was doing some final baby shopping that day and in the evening DH and I went out for a nice dinner at Old Chicago . . . that is when the contractions started to get intense . . . I didnt care though, I downed a whole pizza and wings then we went home and I had a bag of powdered donuts haha. I took a shower still having these contractions right after the other. By 11 pm I wstarted to time them and tried to relax.

12 hours later Matthew was born . . . I LOVED every minute of labor, If I could I would re-live it again. I was 38w2d!

 

[aley28]

I was in pre-labor for three stinking weeks and dilated to a 5 before I got frustrated and allowed my doctor to induce me at 40+3. My baby also had an irregular heart arrhythmia, which helped to prompt me to accept induction. And even after I was hooked up to the drip, I wasn't sure I was in labor until they checked me after a couple hours and I'd dilated to a 7.

Labor isn't ALWAYS painful, it turns out.

 

[GracieGoo]

I had a sweep as I was 6 days over. Hadn't had any contraction pain but turned out I was 5cm. I start with irregular contractions that night... Became regular about 2am. From 4am they were 4-5 mins apart, went to the hospital at about 8.30am as they were intense and on top of each other. Gutted to find I hasn't dilated further! babies hb was causing concern so they broke my waters and I was put on the monitors throughout so unfortunately could not stay active!

Like a pp said don't get your hopes up it will start that day, just be prepared! It's an incredibly exciting time. For me the pain was intense, but when you hold your baba!!! Wow!!

Good luck xx

 

[Cassie123]

My waters went 8 days before I was due but I didn't go into labour. The hospital said I had 48 hours to go into labour or they would induce.

The night before I was to be induced I got back ache around 10pm. Then by 12 I knew I was in labour. By 4am I was in agony. At 5am we got to hospital.
At 6am they said I was only 3cm and wanted to send me home. I said NO!

LO was born at 8am!

 

[CharlieKeys]

With my first my hind waters went and then I had 24 hours of latent labour and then about 4 hours of active labour. With my 2nd I woke up at 2am to pee, and had a bloody show - went in to get checked out and was 1cm dilated and she said to go home but it was the start. By the time I got home at 4am I was contracting every 8 minutes and 9am was in hospital - 5cms dilated.

 

[hawalkden]

Mild contractions at 7-11pm then boom
Waters broke at 2.30am an hour before i was getting the induction drip up. The 9 hours later Peanut was born . 5 weeks early!

 

[x_Rainbow_x]

mine started with 3 days of braxtons, that regulated and lasted for 12 hours before they got stronger, then my plug went and they turned into contractions.

 

[gidge]

I woke up at 37+6 at 1.30am because i could feel water pulsing out of me big time! i jumped up and waddled to the loo and saw it was a browny green colour so went to the hospital and they induced me which started contractions straight away. 18 hours later after 3 hours of pushing my little bundle of joy arrived.
Good luck with yours it is an amazing experience. xx

 

[hubblybubbly]

Woke up feeling a bit off colour but couldn't put my finger on why, had a bit of reduced movement so went to the hospital, had a ctg and it showed regular contractions...I had no idea.

Stood up, waters went. Painful contractions every 3 minutes from then on. Went home as they thought it would be a long time as I was 3cm. Went back in 2 hours later as I needed pain relief. 5 hours later willow was born, gas and air in a lovely water birth.

7 hours start to finish with absolutely no per warning, I was 39 weeks.

 

[Danielleee]

I had my bloody show at 40+1 and irregular contractions for 6 days, Christmas morning 40+7 at about 7.30am i went downstairs to open presents etc & proper contractions started lasting 45 secs every 3 minutes. My contractions never really built up and where close together throughout the whole of my labour so was never any doubt that it had started. My dd was born boxing day morning 05:51am 40+8 x

 

[Maggs]

Went into labour at 39 + 4 without any labour signs or baby dropping. Got up to use the bathroom at 3:30am and felt a pop and water broke. Was a steady trickle. Mild contractions (strong period pains) started immediately, laboured at home until about 11 am then made my way to the hospital. Was 4 cms on arrival. Got on gas & air and in bathtub, then into birthing pool. Checked at 4 pm, was still 4 cms. So got out and back to my room. Asked for some remifentanil (sp?) around 7pm, was given it around 8 I think--it's all a blur. Delivered at 10:45 pm that night after pushing for 45 mins or so. 19 1/2 hrs after waters going.

 

[NewMummyx]

I woke at 5am with what i thought was BH and waved OH off to work. They got worse over the morning and I phoned my sister who told me to get to hospital so I got hold of OH and got there about 12pm, I was 4cm!

LO didnt make an appearance till 5:10am the following morning tho so long labour of 24hrs and almost forceps as we were both so tired by the end of it.

My waters were broken 23hrs in too, you will KNOW as the pain is unlike any other, good luck!