I knew labour was imminent when.....

[Bradyboo]

I am very irritable, mucus discharge increased as have BHs so am thinking and hoping that labour is imminent. Did anyone else have signs that they were shortly going into labour?

Oh, Ok then, so I didn't know labour was imminent at all. DS1 arrived on back seat of our car en route to hospital. But I had started cleaning the shelves of the fridge out about 4 hours earlier. For the first time ever. On a Saturday night. Hmmmm, gentlemen and women of the jury?!...

I got so irrated with DH I jumped on a bag of pears (until my two year old said in a little voice having come down stairs...oh my pears!)

Also painting the same bit of skirting that the last time I tackled was when I was in early labour with DS2.

I felt the need to clean the entire downstairs of the house including all the hard to reach areas.

I was then very achey- I had SPD and thought I'd overdone it with the housework. Had a warm bath. Got out and started getting suspect. I was in established labour within an hour of that, though DD wasnt born until 15hrs later.

Happy days :)

All the things i was waiting for didnt happen til closer to the birth- bloodshow (about 6hrs before, water breaking about 2hrs before etc)

Oh and no one warned me how gross the show would be - bleugghhhhh

While typing on MN I had to stand up for the third time due to baby pushing on a nerve. Decided that I would use the contraction timer to see if there was any pattern to the sharp trapped nerve type pains, but continued to type on MN....... three pains later looked at the contraction timer to see it say "4 mins apart each lasting a minute" .... promptly went into panic mode thinking "oh heck I'm in labour" (baby arrived less than an hour later at home before ambulance could transfer me!)

I had some cramps and just generally felt odd & uneasy the whole night before (after sex, think that's what started it all) I couldn't eat that night (very odd for me!) and slept very poorly... started contractions the next morning and bub was born about 40 hours later...

I was in the first stage of labour for 24 hours before everything stopped! I was devastated so got the hubby back in the sack - not my finest hour, but it worked and I had my daughter n my arms a few short hours later.

Best of luck - it really is the most incredible experience xxx

My DH found me cleaning the tile grout with bleach and a toothbrush (never done before or since. He gently led me away and phoned the doula.

I was telling my mum they were just strong braxton hicks whilst out shopping, and then an hour or two later DH on his way home to get me phoned to say he was stuck in a mega traffic jam....the reality set in!