Labour Signs - What were yours and how soon after did you go into labour?

[pinkwaters]

Hey ladies with previous experience!
Thought this would be very useful to a lot of us first time moms and moms who forgot older experiences

What were your early signs and how long dd they last?
This is my first & I've been expected an earlier delivery by doctors due to baby size reaching 38 weeks already

So far for the past few days I've had inner thigh pain, on and off Braxton hicks and peeing more often! Would love to read about your experiences!! And how soon after you went into labour


Cheers

 

[Sw33tp3a]

well i had a induction with my first, but with my second i had all the symptoms. for me i never could tell the braxtons from the real ones untill in the hospital. but the big clue for me was my water broke. so we headed to the hospital and i delivered 4 hrs later. with this pregnancy im going through the same issues as you. i have at these moments where i have a sharp agonizing pain down there in front abdomen and in my lower back. it wwill last about a minute then subside. i even have to brace myself if standing a like grab a chair to lean against or the wall. but these come and go and do hurt. i did weeks ago keep having the so called braxtons that would tighten in belly. but past week no. my little one is head down and has already dropped. would love to know if you have had any other symptoms.

 

[pinkwaters]

Hey Sweetpea

Thanks for the input!

I've had on and off lower back pain for a while now, my most recent symptom has been the Inner thigh pain really .
My boy has been head down for weeks now and my belly drops a little more each day, don't know what's considered labour low but when I sit I feel like if folds over my lap by now!

Can't wait to meet the little Mr!

 

[JWandBump]

I had no symptoms really..

I started loosing my plug at 40&1, and that was all no pain, upset tummy or anything. Actually felt quite good. The then day after, woke up normal, no more show, quite gutted tbh. Then at around 11am I started getting contractions (in my back tho) so I didn't realise I was in labour for about 3 hours until they got painful. Got to the hospital at 4 (my waters still hadn't gone or anything they went jut before her head came out lol), and she was born at 5.07pm xxx

 

[mannymoo]

Oooo - stalking!

 

[pinkwaters]

Wow JW, now I think I'm weird for sitting around waiting for some pain haha
I'm hunting for signs and it skips me that a lot of people don't get any!
I keep trying to make something out of anything haha in so much of a hurry I know
Thanks for sharing!!

 

[xdxxtx]

With my first pregnancy, I lost chunks of plug for about a week... Then, I was really exhausted and nauseated one day... I had my "clear out" and then had contractions coming every 5 minutes for a few hours. I got to the hospital, and it stopped, and I got sent home at 2 cms dilated. The plug kept coming, and 5 days later, I had lots of energy, went to work, got home, went out to dinner, got in bed and started watching TV, and my water broke. lol. 2 hours my water broke, I had my bloody show. 21 hours after my water broke, my son was born. The contractions were still irregular, so it took me a while to get to 10 cms.

It really is that unpredictable. For the past week, I've had intense nausea and bad, bad low back pain. I feel like this baby wants to come at any moment. He's engaged as far as he can go without falling out. lol... He's been that way for 2-3 weeks now. I'm losing plug now, just in little bits - no blood yet. I'm having contractions allllllllll the time. I think I've got another week or two before he comes, though, based on my first labor... but ya never know! He could come tomorrow or on his due date. It's so annoying. I wish we just came with a set due date and that was when baby came, end of story..

 

[MrsClark24]

I had my DD 3 weeks ago she is my first baby. I was 39+1 when I gave birth.

I started having mild cramps and period pains on the Friday morning around 1am ish, enough to wake me up but popped some paracetamol and went back to sleep.
Around 7am my mucous plug went (very attractive) and I was having more and more cramps and pains. I was still able to walk the dog though, walked 4 miles that day! They got stronger and stronger as the day went on and I just forced myself to keep going.

6pm I was knackered and went to bed, after having a bath with Clary Sage oil, lavender, jasmine and tons of other essential oils that are suppose to speed up labour. I was on that exercise ball all week and all day whenever I was sat down!!

12:30am Saturday morning I was having full on contractions. Waters broke at 12:55am. I rang the hospital and they said not to bother coming in yet, but I wanted to go so they let me go in. At 1:45am I was 4cm and taken to the delivery ward. I asked for the birthing pool but they didn't have time to fill it, by 2:20 I was 10cm and DD was here in 4 pushes at 2:45! Haha!

 

[pinkwaters]

Thanks for sharing ladies! Wow you both took days before it led to labour! Here I am assuming one sign could mean same day ;D

Anyone noticed urine getting much darker? Wiping its bright yellow on the tissue (sorry tmi)

Xdxxtx were both right on 35 weeks! Nausea for me started today but how do you know you're loosing plug? I've had heavy discharge for weeks now and doctor wasn't too bothered by it! I was wondering if I should go get checked!

 

[05mummy07]

Mine have all been so different.

With my first I woke up to find my waters had gone, no contractions though or niggles of any kind so had to be induced.

With my second I lost my plug during the night with no prior pains or indication of it happening, 2 hours later contractions started and he was born 14 hours later, my waters went in the final stage with a gush.

My third it all started with really bad cramping then my plug went during the night, made my way to the hospital 12 hours after first pains started to find I was 7cm already so they broke waters for me and she was born 6 hours after they were broken.

The only thing that really stood out to me looking back on them was a few days before they all happened I had such an urge to bake cakes! and clean so nesting was a huge sign, apart from that though nothing else really happened lol.

 

[pinkwaters]

05mummy, how many weeks were you?
I have no nesting signs what so ever just got up from an afternoon nap, it'll ruin my night but I'm all rested ;D

 

[ProudArmyWife]

I can't say I had any leading up to the day before I went into labor but I was having lots of frequents Braxton hicks (or that's what I thought a lot of people say it was beginning labor )
My stomach was pretty much hard as a rock the entire day and I just felt off. At 1am I got a really strong pain and had to use the bathroom went back to bed since the pain passed and had to jump up and do it all again 10 mins later and the. 5 mins later. I spent an hour having contractions on the toilet because i couldnt stop going
Contractions continued every 5 mins for the next 2 hours at which point I decided I was in labor and went to the hospital

 

[05mummy07]

I was 36+2 weeks when my firsts waters went and my other two I had them both at 39 weeks exactly x

 

[Spiffynoodles]

Even though it hasn't been that long for me, I still wrote down my symptoms of labor, because I knew I'd be trying to remember next time around. So here are my "notes":

36 weeks— 2cm dilated, 60% effaced, started having increased cm (thick and white)
37 weeks— 3cm dilated, 60% effaced, increase in Braxton Hicks, some lower back pain while laying down
March 4th (37+6)— felt really hot, sniffling, felt “muffle-headed” like I had a head cold
March 5th (38) — multiple soft bowel movements (clear out?), bad night of sleep
March 6th (38+1)—multiple soft bowel movementss, had lots of Braxton Hicks (recorded 15 in 1 hour), bad night of sleep
March 7th (38+2)— bad headache all day
March 8th (38+3)—had a cervical exam (4cm dilated), was told that cervix was still high, went on a walk, started to have contractions around 4pm, had a little bit of bloody show (pink tinged cm), checked in at hospital at 7pm, and was 5cm dilated, had waters broken an hour later and was 6cm dilated
March 9th (38+4)—Gave birth at 6:30am!

 

[Lyd]

Hey, I woke up to let the cat out during the night and noticed I was leaking (37+6) baby was born hours later. That's the only thing I had as a sign that my son was on his way. I had absolutely no signs before that.

Ps I ate alot of pineapple that night before going to bed!! Hmmm.

 

[pinkwaters]

Ohh I've craved pineapples all through this pregnancy maybe I should binge on that!! Haha
I'd try anything by now, babies head is so low I waddle with pain all over my hips and inner thigh!

 

[Sw33tp3a]

ive been eating pinapple the whole time like on cottage cheese and such. hasnt affected me

 

[pinkwaters]

I've been sneaking some from time to time but I keep finding myself craving a whole fresh pineapple just for me haha
I know babies will come when they're ready but it's fun to symptom spot ;p ESP when it's the last part!

 

[Sw33tp3a]

i know right in a few weeks im gonna start doing as much walking as i can like i did my last pregnancy. its almost time to have these babies..

 

[karen1stbaby]

I lost my plug with both of mine and contractions started. Took a while though! 24hrs and 26hrs.
Dd1 was 39+6. Dd2 was 40+4 ( who by the way was also measuring 3 weeks ahead but made no difference to coming erly!! Sorry!)
The one thing I noticed about 2 days before was I have very loose bowel movements! TMI! When I told my midwife, she said that was encouraging and was my "clear out"!!! Lovely!
But that happened with both of them so will be watching out for that with this one! Xxx