what does the start of labour feel like?

[bbbbbbb811]

I am not a ftm, but with my first I was induced and I went from being induced to giving birth in 1hr 40minutes with no build up of contractions, just full blown intense ones.. So I'm worried unless my waters break, I won't realise I'm in labour til it's too late (it will take us 50ish minutes to get to hospital) What does early labour feel like? How did you know you were in labour?

 

[lindblum]

it can be different for every pregnancy, my three all started differently. the main sign for me was menstrual like cramping and back pain that gradually got more intense at regular intervals. With my second , my waters didn't break until the pushing stage But I knew I was in Labour from the pain! hope this helps x

 

[Srrme]

My labors started out with intense contractions (no slow build up here).

 

[_Meep_]

I had noticeable contractions for most of the day that gradually increased in frequency and intensity but were still bearable enough for me to expect to be sent home when I went in to the birthing centre to be checked.

I was so surprised to be told I was at 5-6 cm and in established labour! During the transfer up to the hospital, I think I was feeling excited and terrified that it was finally time to meet my baby, more than I was overwhelmed by pain.

By the time I reached 9 cm, however, I would have happily died.

 

[Amy2701]

I was induced with #1 too, so like you I was scared I wouldn't know when labour was starting the second time.

At 1pm (40+1) I started to get tightenings that were 8-10 minutes apart. No pain just tight. These continued with no change until about 5pm. Then I started to get pain with them too. They gradually started to get closer together, and when they were 4 minutes apart I phoned the hospital and arranged to go in (it was 9pm by this point). I was only 3cm dilated when we got there, and DS wasn't born until 4:44am the next morning.

 

[Cattia]

My DD was back to back so with her the first sign was menstrual type cramping but all in my back (I always get a lot of back pain when I have AF anyway). It came and went a lot over the first 24 hours or so and even when it got closer together and very intense I was still only 4cm. With my DS he wasn't back to back like DD so the cramping was all in my loer abdomen, but with him I distinctly remember thinking that the pain was constipation cramps. It took me a while to realise that it was coming and going regularly! I went in about two hours after the first cramp and I was 6cm dilated, he was born about 4 hours later.

 

[Dolly84]

With ds my waters popped at 6am and my contractions felt like mild period cramps, then over the course of the day they got closer together and more intense, I decided to go to hospital at 3.30am as I could no longer talk thru them and was told I was almost 10cm! I got into the pool and it only took 2 pushes to get ds out. I'm really hoping for a similar birth this time xxx

 

[Button#]

I woke up feeling a bit odd, then my waters went pop and I went straight into strong contractions. I was told to leave it an hour to see if they died down, they didn't and when I got to the hospital an hour and a half after my waters breaking I was 8cm and they were rushing me down the corridor saying 'don't push, don't push!'