Warning Signs!

What are some of the impending warning signs that you might go into labor soon?

 

I think everyone has different signs of labor. For me, I had a huge amount of Braxton Hicks, but it was the day the Braxton Hicks would not go away that I knew something was up. I laid on my left side, drank lots of water, and took a shower and nothing stopped the contractions (this stuff normally worked). So, I knew that something was up. I also had a great deal of lower back pain. I did not lose my mucous plug and my water never broke with either pregnancies. It was pretty much just a lot of back pain and contractions that never let up.

 

I agree, everyone's signs are different. For me it was being dilated, but I had a cerclage and was told that would do it. Other than that I only had lower back pain.


With my oldest DD my only sign was my water breaking at 41 weeks. My water broke before I ever had any contractions.

 

With my singleton, I remember waking up thinking I had to go to the bathroom, and then nothing...
This went on all night long. And finally decided to go to l&d and I was dilated to a 10!!

With the twins I lost my mucus plug and had lots of braxton hicks, it was too early so I was put on meds and bedrest and then once I stopped the meds it was more of the constant braxton hicks.


My water never broke to let me know, but that's a sure sign right there.

 

this is from Penny Simkin's book The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions:

Possible Signs (Without other signs, these are not clear enough to get excited about. They can fool and confuse a woman, because they are different from what she was feeling earlier, but, unlike Positive Signs, they do not indicate that her cervix is dilating and that she is therefore in labor. Rather, Possible Signs indicate that her body is getting ready for labor. They may go on for days or even weeks before her cervix begins to dilate)
- vague nagging backache causing restlessness - a need to keep changing positions
- several soft bowel movements - sometimes accompanied by flu-like, "sick" feelings
- cramps, similar to menstrual cramps, that come and go; the discomfort may extend to the thighs
- unusual burst of energy resulting in great activity (cleaning, organzing); this is termed the "nesting urge"

Preliminary or Prelabor Signs (These are more important than the Possible Signs, but real labor could still be hours or even days away)
- blood-tinged mucus discharge ("show" or mucus plug) released from the vagina; mother continues passing this discharge off and on throughout labor
- bag of waters leaks, resulting in a trickle (not a gush) of fluid from the vagina (leaking fluid occurs before labour in about 2 of every 10 women)
- continuing, nonprogressing contractions - that is, they do not become longer, stronger, and closer together over a period of time

Positive Signs (These are the only certain signs that the mother is truly in labor - that is, her cervix is dilating)
- progressing contractions - that is, contractions that become longer, stronger, and closer together over time. These usually continue until it is time to push. Some women having second or subsequent babies, however, have periods of progressing contractions that come and go over a few days before they settle into a continuous pattern (A clear sign that the cervix is opening are 10 to 12 contractions that (1) consistently average 1 minute in length, (2) occur 5 or fewer minutes apart, and (3) feel painful or "very strong").
- spontaneous breaking of the bag of waters (rupture of the membranes) with a pop or gush of fluid followed by progressing contractions within hours (rupture of the membranes with a gush occurs before other signs of labor in only about 1 in 10 women).

 

With my singletons it was contractions... I walked and they got worse (around the block) laying down almost made them worse. My water didnt break till 7cm

 

I guess I am special. I am the 1 in 10. My water broke before I had any contractions. With my first, they had to give me pitocin to get the contractions going. With the twins, my water broke but I started having contractions on my own.

 

Same here... for 3 out of my 4 pregnancies my water broke first. Ironically the only pregnancy this didn't happen in was my twin pregnancy!