If your baby came early, did you have a feeling that they would?

[Billyjoearmstrong]

32 weeks with 3rd baby.

My ds was born at 37 weeks. I knew he would be early, it was a feeling I had. When I got the date for my section I remember laughing and telling them that he would be here a couple of weeks before that.

Dd I got to my section date, but I knew I would.

This baby I’ve got that feeling again. I know I won’t make it to the date booked in.

I saw my midwife today and told her. She said that she always listens to women - when you have such a strong feeling in her experience, the mother is usually right.

This baby is the same as Ds. Intense Brixton hix/period type pains and 4/5 engaged.

Just wondering if anyone else had the same feeling and if you were right?

(I’m really hoping I’m wrong - I could do without having and ‘emergency’ section).

I had visions of me sitting in the NICU with my baby girl before I gave birth. Went into labour at 32 weeks and spent a lot of time in the NICU. It was a boy though. I have looked back at that and thought it was odd, I didn’t have any sort of feeling with my first.

First baby: my doctor warned me to expect an early baby potentially (I had my head in the sand, was calling into work with handover info whilst on the labour ward, 4 weeks prior to due date)
Second baby: I expected them to arrive early too: even had labour symptoms dead on 4 weeks early. Baby arrived 2 days after due date.

Yep, ds i said it from the start and everyone said i was chatting rubbish, born at 34+5. Said it again with DD, she cooked 3 more days, born at 35+1. Im confident it saved her life, she was born vomiting poo and had a twisted bowel, it took 4 days to get anyone to listen there, if shed been born term and we had come straight home, i dont think we'd have her with us today

Yes, I "knew". I was pretty sure he'd be 2-4 weeks early and he arrived 2.5 weeks early. I also remember walking up to the post box thinking, this baby will be here in the next 24 hours. Waters went that night.

Yes! I knew DD was going to be early, I told everyone I knew. A fair few people scoffed at me and took the piss when I went on mat leave at 33 weeks.

DD arrived at 35 weeks exactly!

I can't tell you how I knew, but I knew!

I thought my first two would be early.

They were 10 days late. Both of them.

I often wonder if there's an element of wish fulfilment during pregnancy, because virtually every pregnant woman I've ever known has said 'I've got a feeling he/she is going to be early' and most of them have been late.

You only remember the times you were right, not the times you were wrong.

No. My mum was well overdue with me and my sister and I thought I’d be the same. DD1 arrived 34+0 out of the blue.

DD2 was also early (36+6) obviously by then I did expect it! Was just grateful it wasn’t earlier.

Not a feeling at the time however straight after I had her I had that 'oh I must have known' spark. Surprise pregnancy, found out at 31wks. Me and DP were still living with parents and waiting for an offer to come back on a flat. We had decided to have everything packed ready to go before I was due to make things easier but kept putting it off.

I had an urge to pack everything up at 10pm on a Monday night. It took forever but I refused to sleep until it was done. I woke up at 6am the following morning spotting and with period like pains. Had DD by 1pm at 36wks pregnant.

Not me, but a woman in my NCT group was certain her first was going to be early. He was born at 36 weeks. She was then adamant the same wouldn’t happen with the second, and he was born around his due date.

From the day I found out I was pregnant I had anxiety something was going to go wrong and that she would arrive early and wouldn't be breathing. It got so bad towards the end of my pregnancy that my midwife started coming out to the house weekly between appointments to listen into the heart beat etc for my peace of mind. 37 weeks and one of these visits showed protein in my urine and 24 hours later I was being induced due to pre eclampsia (no symptoms at all until induction started) and developed hellp syndrome. She wasn't breathing when she was born and it took a minute to resuscitate her (felt like an hour). I had my bag packed from 36 weeks and my mum asked why I was packing it early but I just knew I would need it.

Yep with both of them. Knew DS1 was going to be early, he came just over 37 weeks.
DS2 almost came at 30 weeks so was on meds to stop labor for weeks. He made it to 38 weeks.

My anecdotal experience and evidence of living in the Caribbean suggests that hot climates, babies tend to come slightly early. Out of 20 friends and acquaintances, 15 out of 20 babies came before their due date, some not even making it to their scheduled csec date which is always 39 weeks here.

I knew DS would be born at 37 weeks - everyone laughed at me! I know that this baby will be early too (I think somewhere between 36 and 37 weeks) but I'll have to wait a bit longer to find out.

I do think you know (and especially if you have a personal or family history of early labour). Although I've had a few friends who were sure they would go early and had to be induced! So maybe not everyone "knows"!

I was so sure my eldest would be early - based a propos of nothing but the fact I was born early. Premature in fact. However he was a week late and only 6 lb 10 Oz and must have needed the extra cooking time!

My youngest conversely I was certain would be late, he was 4 days early.

All girls in our family are born early, and while that might be inherited poor maths, mine was IVF so the dates were spot on . My DD was born at 37 weeks, as I told the consultant she would be...my C section was booked for 38 weeks which he said was the best he could do. I really couldn't hold my breath for a whole week though! So it was technically an emergency c-section (ie unplanned for that date), but it was in no way an emergency and everything went as it would have anyway -it was just a week earlier. So don't worry about it being an "emergency" section OP.

@janinlondon the only reason I worry about it being ‘emergency’ is that what Ds was classed as. They rushed the section (no need to, the consultant was just pissed off and told me that I either had it right now or waited as they were busy, it was horrible and never a good sign when the person cutting you open is openly pissed off at you - it was a maternal request section and the consultant I ended up with on the day was the one who originally laughed at me when I asked for one and said no way, so he wasn’t happy), and a lot of internal problems were caused because of it. I’m scared of that happening again, even though I complained and the hospital were found to be negligent.

I guess I’ll just have to wait and see! It will be interesting to see if my gut feeling is right again.

Not early, but my 2nd was due on Monday 2nd July, but from quite early on I said she would be born on Friday 29th June, I just had this feeling, no idea why, my 1st was overdue. On the Thursday (28th) I kept saying I was having her tomorrow and told dh to make sure he tidied up at work etc. She was born at 5.08pm on Friday 29th!

Nope I was convinced baby would be on time and punctual like his Mommy - psssssssshhhhhhh he turned up early at 36 weeks I hadn't even finished work like another poster I still didn't think it was going to happen despite waters gushing and c section being booked and was calling into work with a list of things to get sorted etc 😂.

Although I did tell everyone my first would be a left handed, brown eyed boy and my second would be a right handed girl and I was right on both counts there!

DC1 was 10 days late, I was absolutely convinced DC2 would be late too. I didn’t even have a bag packed when I went into labour 10 days early, moving furniture about in DC1’s bedroom.

So convinced I was that it was just Braxton Hicks I put off calling out the independent midwife we’d hired (DC1 was a difficult birth). Eventually, when I was on all fours in the living room, DH overruled me and called her out. I was 7cms dilated when she examined me. That was a surprise

DC1 was born at bang on 35 weeks, and the first I knew about it was getting wet feet when my waters went. For DC2 I made sure I finished work super early (I didn't fancy doing another handover from my hospital bed a la DC1). At 34 weeks DH and I were in a cafe when a random lady came over to me and announced she was a midwife and she could tell I was about to drop any day now. She seemed suprised when I said I was 6 weeks off being due. The next weekend I had massive rant at DH because the nursery wasn't finished and I put a waterproof sheet on the bed. My waters went that night (in bed, the waterproof sheet saved the mattress!), bang on 35 weeks again. I think I could tell something was happening.

So for me, for one I didn't have a clue and the second I think I had an intuition. Listen to your body, OP!

No I had booked maternity leave at 38 weeks to give me a week or two to relax. Then at 37 plus 5 days may waters broke at 5am. I then did my work handover between my waters breaking and contractions starting that evening!

My first was born at 37 weeks (perfectly naturally, for no obvious reason, she was born at home so all really straightforward). I was sure my 2nd would come early and had a bit of a panic at 35 weeks.

But nope, he was born at 40+6.

I had my son at 38 weeks. I spent the whole time thinking I'd go over. So it was a surprise lol

Both of mine at exactly 38 weeks. Waters went then had to be induced. I was sure I'd be late , so worked up to 36 weeks with first and day before with second. I'd so set my mind to being late as everybody else I knew had been
With my second I waited to go into hospital and ended up with a prolapse cord....all ok in the end but so much guilt since.....35 years.

I had to go and see the nurse today for something unrelated (actually for my Dd). She told me to sit down when she saw how I was waking.

She wanted me to call my midwife as she thought I was around 26 weeks - I’m 32 but I don’t get big bumps so don’t look as far along as I am. She was less concerned when I said that I was 32w and that I’d seen the midwife two days ago.

“I bet you feel like you’ve got a bowling ball in between your legs, don’t you?” Is what she said.

This baby feels so low and when the cramps come (sporadically), they take my breath away.

I see the midwife one week and the consultant for growth scans the other week so we’ll see how it goes. I feel better that I’m seen by someone weekly just incase.