To think labour is going to happen soon? 33 weeks pregnant

[CandleFlames]

Obviously nobody can actually tell me but I don't know if I'm going crazy or not!

I'm 33+1 and last night I had bad stomach pain and back pain. I didn't think anything of it. And then I ended up having a dream about going into labour early and having my baby. Today I've woken up with more back pain and with a huge nesting instinct and the urge to get everything finalised before baby is here.

Baby has been head down now for about five weeks, and I have dropped a little, and aside from the pain those are the only real indicators I have.

Am I absolutely mad to think labour could be coming soon?

I obviously don't want baby here yet until he's fully cooked! But it's just weird because the entire pregnancy I have said to everyone he will make it until my 39 week C-Section and suddenly I'm expecting him here by the end of the month.

Has anyone else had this random intuition and been right? Or, had this gut instinct and then turned out to be wrong, which is what I'm hoping for in this case?

You need to talk to your midwife really.

@dustibooks I have but of course she can't really say anything based on a preminition! So I was just wondering if anyone else's intuition had been right?

Stomach and back pain is probably Braxton Hicks if it's only lasting for a short time and then subsiding. It's also pretty common for baby to be head down from early on, doesn't make easily labour more likely
If you're genuinely worried about early labour then speak to your midwife.

Head down and engaged is not an indicator of labour being imminent.

Who knows? Are you feeling otherwise well? Drinking enough? Pains can be a sign of dehydration and UTIs, both requiring attention.

I started like that with my 1st, born at 34+5 but waters broke 3 days before. Back pain that wouldnt ease up for a couple of days before my waters went and i scrubbed the whole house. I spoke to dr who brushed it off and student midwife looked at me like i was stupid but i knew something wasnt right. Get your bag packed at ready. I knew with both of mine theyd be early and i was right.

Thanks everyone. I have a hospital bag packed for me but not for baby yet and suddenly today I'm like sht, I haven't washed any of his clothes or frozen any food etc because I've always thought he was going to be on time! Really hoping this is just a random episode but it has made me wonder how many people have felt like this and been right! @Gin4thewin* that's mad that you knew! How was your baby at 34+5? Did they need to be in special care for a while? I'm going to have a clean today I think, I see my midwife tomorrow so can talk to her more then!

Sorry @ShowOfHands I missed your comment. I'm feeling otherwise fine, drinking enough, I had my urine tested on Friday and no UTI. I'm currently on antibiotics for a wisdom tooth infection but the pain is easing up with that. I know tooth problems can cause preterm labour so maybe I have put two and two together and gone a little mad!

The night before I went into labour, despite having no symptoms (or recognising it as symptoms) my husband was rushing to finish off a major piece of work and talking about staying up all night to finish it. I can't tell you how many times I told him my instinct was he should rest. He finished his work at 3am, I woke him 4am in labour.
I also, after being certain I was having a girl throughout my labour and having picked a boy and a girl name, had a dream about 6 weeks before labour that I had a boy and we called him xxxx (a name that wasn't really on our radar), I had a boy, we didn't think he suited the name we picked so I suggested the name from the dream. Turned out it translated to exactly what my partner had been working on, so that's what he is called. Instinct is a thing.

He was fine, 4lb 13oz no issues at all, got jaundice 3 times so did 2 weeks in nicu. DC2 cooked 3 days longer born at 35+1 but was 5lb 4oz and only had to do 5 days on the ward she was absolutely fine.

I had a feeling that things weren't right at 27 weeks with my twins. Sore back, tightening across my belly etc. I called the MAC unit and was told to come in. I was contracting and had a feotal fibronectin test which indicated that I was indeed likely to go into early labour. I held out until 30 weeks when they finally arrived.

If you are feeling different then trust your instinct and call your maternity ward. In my experience they would rather see you and things be OK than not, especially if you are only 33 weeks.

I thought that with DC1 and he came 2 weeks late.
The early pains for me were a UTI which triggers small contractions.

Get yourself checked.

@Witsendagain That is absolutely crazy! How strange! I've never felt this sure of something but I'm hoping to be proved wrong. Was your baby early?

I would also add, in the kindest way possible, that I wouldn't bother cleaning today and instead get yourself to your maternity unit. If pre-term labour is imminent then you have a limited window for steroid injections for baby's lungs so time is of the essence. Hopefully you won't need any of that but if your instincts are really that strong, you'd be remiss to not act on them ASAP.

It’s always worth getting checked out in pregnancy, even if it turns out to be nothing.

I told my mum at 31 weeks with ds2 that i had a strange feeling i wouldnt get to full term. I woke up the day inturned 34 weeks, threw a bit of a hissy fit because we'd bought next to nothing for him. My husband and i went and bought the basics, but i couldn't settle at all that day. No pains or anything, just a strange feeling something wasnt right. That night my waters went and 2 days later my son was born by emcs. I think sometimes you just know.

I had 'premonitions' with every one of mine that this one would be early.

Every one of the buggers was over a week late. Middle DD was three weeks' late...

Now I ignore anyone telling me to listen to my intuition.

@candleflames nope 14 days late so it wasn't exactly an outrageous bet! 😂 After 20+ hours of active labour my dh definitely regretted not listening to the wild eyes woman on her hands and knees scrubbing the fridge and preaching rest! The nesting is crazy I remember waking him up with 'we have to vacuum the house. Right now' he was like 'why? Are you crazy?' and I said 'nope, I'm in labour'. I then sat in the doorway repacking my hospital bag while he vacuumed the whole house at 4am because it was the fastest way to get me to hospital! Good luck either way, I hope your baba holds on for you but I know the care for early babs is excellent! Xx

Thanks for all the responses! I am going down to get checked out these evening because I’ve been having stomach pain and less kicks today, but hoping it’s all in my head. If a baby was to be born at 33 weeks 1 day what would happen?

I had DS at 33+4. At that gestation it will definitely be a NICU admission. DS had minor respiratory difficulties (needed breathing support, CPAP, for 3 days), was tube fed for a while, had a few days of phototherapy for jaundice. He was in hospital for 2.5 weeks in total which I think is fairly typical for that gestation. It was unusually tricky to get him feeding but we got there in the end.

These are normal in pregnancy. All of it, I'm afraid. I'm actually going through it right now (ouch!) and have been since 25 weeks. My babies have never come early and I don't expect this one to either!

Just to add, serious problems or long term effects are unlikely at that gestation.