Is the baby coming or am I just ill?

[MinisterforCheekyFuckery]

I'm 38+2 and after a few weeks of feeling pretty good (SPD aside) I suddenly feel like I've been hit by a bus.

Yesterday I was very tearful, irritable and just felt overwhelmed for much of the day for no good reason. Then yesterday evening couldn't face food (so not like me!) and was running back and forth to the toilet with loose stools (sorry for TMI). I thought this must be my body having a 'clear out' in preparation for labour as I've heard that's quite common. Lots of BH in between toilet trips. The pooing finally stopped about 10pm and I went to bed thinking something would probably happen during the night but aside from feeling sick, having BH contractions and stomach cramps on and off resulting in very little sleep, nothing. This morning I just feel very weak and achey, also still feel a bit sick, although that may be not eating since yesterday lunchtime.

Could all this be a sign of impending labour or am I just ill? Now worrying that I've just picked up a bug and am going to have to go through labour and delivery feeling unwell with it. Not worried about baby as I can feel him wriggling and hiccuping away as normal.

Can you lie down somewhere quiet and see if there’s a pattern to your braxton hicks?

Are you able to eat a little something? Plain toast?
Difficult to tell but labour is a possibility. With my first I was surprised at how little pain there was until the last half hour, so ignored it completely and continued with normal stuff - had no idea I was in labour!

Have managed to eat some toast and do actually feel a bit better for it. There's no pattern to the contractions, tried to time them last night but they were just random. DH reckons I've been 'overdoing it' the last couple of days so he's sent me back to bed with a cuppa while he entertains DD4. Trying ignore the chaos I can hear going on downstairs!