Tell me your very early signs of labour...

[Hardheadedwoman39]

So I'm 36 weeks, with baby number 4, c section booked for May 21st but am desperate to go into labour before then.

Tell me your early labour signs, the weirder the better!

Braxton hicks

On the night of birth stomach cramps then gloopy plug out pain became more frequent first every 15 mins then 10 mins the 7 mins. It stopped for a bit then restarted.
Felt the baby low from about week 37

Really low down cramps, like across my public bone. Was in labour for a week and didn’t know it, still ended up being induced though

Back ache and period like cramps.
My plug went.
I had a bleed.
It was about 2 days later when everything kicked off properly.

Good luck OP!

I was back to back. Felt like period pain and needing a big bowel movement

The first sign for me was when my waters broke.

I've been having period type cramps, pain in pubic bone and bad braxton hicks.....did any of you have yours early?

Where were you when your waters broke?

First sign was when my waters broke.DC1 was born 2 hours later.

@chocolicious that must have been full on? Did you make it to the hospital?

First sign was being sick

None! In both cases my waters broke in the middle of the night with no warning. I gather that’s unusual. Particularly as first was 18 days before due date and second was 8 days before. Come to think of it, I had textbook pregnancies both times but unusual labours... I don’t do things the easy way!

@ Hardheadedwoman39
Yes, very full on. I did make it into hospital,just !!
As soon as I got to the labour ward they examined me and said start pushing now.I was fully dilated by then.No time for any pain relief to be given.Not what I would recommend for a first birth.Labour was so fast and furious that DC born with a huge haematoma on the back of their head.

First baby I think I was niggling in slow labour for about 4 weeks. I had a sore bump, upset stomach on and off and clear jelly like discharge. The day before my waters broke I had really high blood pressure and a bad stomach.
Second baby I just had back ache the day before.
Third baby I had two sweeps which both gave me cramps, spotting and generally feeling hormonal and weird. I had a night of her head butting me repeatedly really low down then was up in the night with nausea and upset stomach. Then the same again the following night which then progressed into labour.

On Christmas morning, I just felt like walking - we went to church as normal, but also a walk along the pier (except I was at the only capable of waddling stage so had to give up half way along it). And at DGM's house, I really REALLY didn't want to sit down so spent an hour in the kitchen stirring gravy and chatting rather than sitting. All my DAunts clucking and trying to get me to sit down, but DGM stood up for me and said I should be left alone to do what I wanted (she'd had 7 herself - didn't know I was at THAT point, but just stood up for me).

After 2 helpings of Christmas turkey and a lot of laughing at the table, I spent most of the next 2 hours up and down to the loo, and standing behind my chair, while presents were being opened. Finally pleaded exhaustion (difficult when a 5 month old was crawling around the floor having a ball still!) and persuaded DH to "take me home" at 11pm - we went pretty much home to grab a few things and into hospital where I took advantage of the quiet Christmas night to spend 2 hours on a yoga ball under a hot shower, and gave birth to DD at 6am.

Slightly (ok, completely!!) surprised the other 10 adults who had been in our company the night before when we rang with the news about 10am !

I only realised shortly after getting up from dinner table that things were actually happening, BTW.

I started to vomit. Then my water went as I was getting sick🤢

@chocolicious I'm glad you made it although like you say for a first labour that's a bit of a shock for everyone involved!

@BiddyPop The image of you endlessly stirring the gravy made me laugh 😂 So nice that you had all that family around you at that time 😊

@keepingbees I think I might be in the same boat with a slow burn labour, I'm tempted to ask the midwife to check my cervix although I haven't had a show at all....

@DrMaryMalone Yours sound like the classic movie labours, with my first my waters broke as a first sign and in many ways it was so nice as there was no doubt that things were going to happen....

@Hardheadedwoman39 I was a week late! My weeks worth of contractions only for me 3cm dilated!

That should say only got me 3cm dilated

@Hardheadedwoman39 it would be worth checking - that's if they'll do it at 36 weeks. I didn't have an obvious show with any of mine.
I was 3cm dilated when i went in with my first even, though I hadn't had any contractions which I why I think I might have been in slow labour with the weird soreness and possibly losing bits of plug.

I had braxton Hicks or very early contractions from around 10pm till 6am the 3 nights leading up to my labour. The pain was mild but enough to keep we awake so I was totally shattered by the time it all kicked off properly!

With dd1 I had backache for a couple of days. Contractions started at 6am. I went to the hospital dd was born 19 hours later.
With dd2 I had a weird pregnancy I didn't find out I was pregnant until I was 5mths. Went to visit my mum in her care home on my due date I had absolutely no sign of labour starting. On leaving my waters broke in the carpark. We only just made it to hospital when dd2 arrived.

Our son is now 26 so this was a long time ago BUT it was a Saturday night, I was asleep in bed and 9 months pregnant. I felt like I needed to poo. I went to the bathroom and sat on the loo but couldn't do anything so went back to bed. About 10 minutes later the same thing happened.... Still couldn't poo.
After the third time, I nudged sleeping DH and told him - he said to go back to sleep. Then I said 'I am 9 months pregnant!!!! This could be the start of labour!!!'
It was.

@Crazydiamond106
That's the situation I feel I'm in - rumblings of things that wake me in the night, back ache, period pain, braxton hicks....it leaves you so so tired doesn't it....

@ParkheadParadise That must have been one heck of a shock finding out at 5 months?
Do you not suffer strong symptoms?