Do you know before that the birth was going to start?

[gloucestergirl]

How many of you 'knew' that the baby was on the way before labour or contractions? This is mine and my husband's first baby and he is convinced that a woman will always know before anything starts. Some kind of pyschic connection, or something. This is based on his mother knowing over 30 years ago that his sister was on the way and his mum telling his dad not to drink. You can imagine the rest, his dad didn't believe his mum, drank too much, mother had to make her own way to the hospital and a family folkfore is added to. But the midwife also agreed that a woman knows before. Was this the case for any of you?

Yes.

But the fact I was induced probably helped, what with being given a date and whatnot

If it were true, why would women be sent home from hospital with a 'false alarm'

Nope. Took me by surprise.

Er no. If fact was having 10 minute contractions before I clicked with DC1. With DC2 DH said he knew I was going to have the baby that day, I had no idea until I had two almighty contractions close together.

Fliss I was thinking that about the false alarms too. Have a friend who's had 5 and still had 3 false alarms with the last one .

Me. I had to rush to the loo at about 7pm and emptied my bowels very dramatically!

Not until my waters went! I did have a feeling DD would be on time (she was) unlike DS who was late (my first).

I thought I knew on an almost daily basis with dd2 bloody braxton hicks

No, I don't think you know until the contractions are that strong you know they are moving the baby about.

I didn't know the evening before but i woke up at 2.30am wide awake. I got up and sat in the living room for about half an hour with 5 minute trips to the toilet because i had a feeling my waters were going to break. At 3am they did and minutes later I started getting contractions. So I had that 'feeling' for half an hour before but no idea when i went to bed.

Yes, the day before I went into labour I had a show and although that can happen a few days before labour, I felt a bit crampy and just knew things were starting. Not a psychic experience though!

I can't help but rewrite your ILs story in my head to: MIL knew due date was approaching, maybe she had had some warm up contractions in the days or weeks before, maybe she had a show, maybe not, but she was paranoid about FIL not being able to drive and nagged asked him not to drink. He decided he wanted to drink regardless and continues to pay for that to this day

TBH your MIL sounds like a bit of a nightmare and I'd take it all with a pinch of salt. This story goes something along the lines of "look what a wonderful and intuitive mother I am and if you don't know when your labour is going to start you can't possibly measure up".

Think you are going to have to practice smiling sweetly and ignoring everything she says over the next few months.

Thanks for your replies. I thought this whole 'a woman just knows before' stuff was a load of nonsense.

My MIL is actually lovely and the nicest woman ever, but I can't help but agree with FutureNannyOgg that some information was omitted or her memory cherry picked the events to paint a less flattering picture of my husband's father (FIL and MIL are divorced!).

I'm just surprised that the midwife and my normally very sceptical husband brought into it.

Only with DS3, at about half 10 that night told DH I was off to bed to get some sleep in case anything started that night.

Was woken up at half past midnight by first contraction

Took me by surprise too!

Do you know what I automatically thought 'no' in answer to your question but thinking about it im not so sure. With dc1, we were very surprised that he came 3 weeks early, shell shocked really. But DH reminded me when were finally home etc, the last thing I did the night before labour started was set up the Moses basket next to our bed and put all the sheets and bedding on it ready for the new baby. I could hardly even remember doing it. I suppose nesting can be sign?

No. I woke up desperately needing the loo, had a show and first contraction. As I'd been told that everyone has "practice" contractions and that the bump drops I assumed that this was the "practice" and told DH to run a bath so we could see if they would taper off. By which point I was pretty scared that if these were the practice ones, then I'd never cope with labour! Got in the bath, started throwing up so DH called hospital and they told us to come in. He went to have a shower and get shaved. I was not impressed. Then he had to persuade me to get out as I didn't want to, we went to hospital and DS was born 3 hours later.

Nope.

I went into labour four weeks early with DD and spent the first few hours convinced I had indigestion. I was at a friend's house at the time and it was only as I hobbled to catch the train back and realised I was having to breathe through my indigestion pangs that it occurred to me I was possibly having contractions.

Even then, I didn't think it was the real thing. I passed a bit of blood and DH and I went into hospital to get me checked out. They established that I was dilating pretty quickly and (as DD was breech) whipped me in for an EMCS. DD made her appearance about five hours after I first started to feel a bit uncomfortably in the tummy region....

This is going to sound unbelievable but both my DH and I were convinced we knew the date our DD was going to born. This was from the very beginning when I gad early scans due to bleeding, the dr's told us the EDD and we were both 'no that can't be right it is this date ***' and low and behold she was born on that date. There is even somewhere on MN a post by me (different log on to this) predicting my date correctly.

But it was just probably coincidence.

With DS2 I just knew when I woke up that morning, told my Nana that baby was close & he was born just after midnight.

No.
I sex on purpose in the hope DD1 would get her act together and avoid being induced. She did, but no clue it had worked till the first contraction.

DD2 I told off most severely, I was tired she could have waited another day.
She's still an inpatient so and so!

With my third I knew I was going to go into labour when i was picking the kids up from school. I'd been having fairly regular braxton hicks in the afternoon. Then suddenly in the playground I had an overwhelming urge to get home, fast. We got back and I texted DH. He was confused about why he needed to come back when I wasn't having contractions, but did so anyway. He fed the kids and tried to feed me (I wasn't hungry), whilst I sort of stalked around not anxious, but kind of on edge a bit. Then I was on MN whilst he put the kids to bed and the irregular BHs started up again every 5-10 mins. Finally he walked in and said they were all asleep just before ten thirty. 5 mins later really strong contractions kicked off every 5-6 mins . My body had been waiting for the right moment. The baby was born at about 2am.

Nope, both of them took me by surprise. Would quite like a date for this one, getting fed up now

I went to bed on the Mon night thinking 'I wonder if I should put one of those pads under the sheet in case my waters break in the night? Nah, I'm not due for another week'. Woke up at 5 am when my waters went :o