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...

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[teal]

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

 

[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

 

[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

 

[Seity]

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

 

[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.

 

[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!

 

[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! 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!

 

[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!

 

[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....

 

[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

 

[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

 

[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!

 

[Krippy]

Unbearable back pain

 

[BigLegEmma]

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!

 

[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.

 

[mummytobe_93]

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

 

[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.).