If you had spontaneous labour, when did it start and were there any signs prior?

[Lalarosex]

Also what did your first contractions actually feel like?

39 weeks here with no signs of labour impending other than a very low baby! Hoping to wake up one of these mornings with a contraction!

My 1st was spontaneous. No signs up to 39+6 then on my due date I had a pink sort of grainy discharge and diarrhoea in the morning after 9 months of constipation (sorry for the tmi!). I went shopping that day and had a few pains through the day but nothing awful then it gradually ramped up to contractions during the evening. I went to hospital around 1 am and Ds was born at 5 am.

ETA first contractions felt like sudden period pains. It was really totally bearable till near the end I found. A tens machine helped a bit in terms of distraction.

Both times bloody show (like hard jelly gunk) about a day beforehand. First contractions were like period pain.

Like @RickiRaccoon bloody show the morning and feeling a bit restless. Also I turned down a fondant fancy cake. I heard off. Got gripes of pains around 9, very manageable, waters went 4am, hospital then and born 10.30

All 4 of mine were spontaneous

Dd1 it felt like period cramps that slowly got worse and worse and started to become regular.

Dd2 contractions very quick and painful no slow lead up like her sister. They were regular from word go first 4 mins apart then quickly moved to 2 mins apart (Shortest labour too)

Ds my waters started leaking and contractions were slow to start and would stop start.

Dd3 spent a week getting contractions saw midwife 3.times each time wad told "see you later on today" (homebirth) each time they stopped after 4-5 hours. They were mid level pain like day 1 of period cramps. Went to a fireworks display at oldest school and contractions continued throughout. Said to the head as we left "I'm going home to have a baby now" and I did she was born at 7 am the next morning.

Will also say the first 3 were all back labours where as dd3 was not and I had to be convinced to finally call the midwifes as I didn't feel I "was in enough pain" the other 3 had been far more painful.

Edited for spelling and also I had no bloody show or plugs until contractions were well established

I've had two spontaneous labours. They both started totally randomly with mild period-like pain and after a few hours had increased to more uncomfortable but still quite mild pains in a clear contraction pattern. It was at that point both times that I knew I was in labour. Especially as with my second, I had the mild period-like pain initial bit on and off loads of times over the course of a week or two before they continued into proper contractions. Am expecting similar with this third one.

DC1 - went to the loo at 7.30am on the due date and my waters went. Born at 2.30pm.

DC2 - 10 days before due date, feeding toddler at 8am and started contracting. Born at 10.40pm at home as planned.

Two spontaneous labours (plus one induced labour). Both started with contractions that increased in frequency and intensity. Waters didn’t break until well into the pushing stage either time, and no sign of losing mucus plug beforehand either.

2 labours both in the back. First, a show and contractions started after that. 14 days overdue. Second, it was a couple of days before my due date and felt a bit off all day. Stood up to do the washing up after supper and felt a pop and my waters went. A stop and start labour and she was born 42 hours later.

No signs at all, had a 2nd sweep at 40+5 and contractions started that evening. Baby was born at 40+7

4 spontaneous labours.

Baby one - period pain type contractions started on a Friday night, 39+6. 1cm dilated by 11pm, came home to bed. 5cm dilated by 8am, but baby not born until 11pm. All fine but cord round neck so slow labour. Waters broken by midwife.

Baby two - 40+10, 5pm told my mum nothing was happening. By 7pm I phoned her back to come and have toddler, baby born at 8.30pm. Contractions thick and fast from the get-go. Waters broke on the loo around 30 mins before delivery.

Baby three - 40+3, severe backache and top of thigh pain, no break for a coupleo hours. Went to get checked out about 9pm and had her at 5am after a threat of c section. Turns out she was back to back with an anterior placenta which is why I experienced the pain in the way I did.

Baby four - 40+2, contractions on way home from school. Lugged all the kids' crap home and things died down til about 8pm, had a huge yellowy snotty show (my first ever!). Managed to get the kids to sleep and went into hospital around 11pm. Born at 4am, it never really started hurting that much.

So even in the same mother the experiences can be wildly different! I haven't ever known of anyone - apart from my own mother with me - to have the full splashdown of waters breaking with no prior clue, though.

I started Labour at about 10:30 at night, with my plug coming away. The day before I just had this feeling I should't go too far from home.

With DD my waters broke at 40+5 and strong contractions started shortly after that. I didn't have any signs prior to that, no period pain type cramps at all it was straight into contractions that I needed to breathe through.

Both births started at 2am. 1st at 39+3 and 2nd on due date
No bloody show or signs beforehand other than being really uncomfortable. My waters never went until I had to push with both and went during a contraction.

Felt like a tingle, then cramps, then ampes up to be more painful. Slowly with my 1st, it was sort of "is this it" for a fair few hours. Then the pain was mostly in my pelvis and nothing like cramps. I couldn't sit down and only felt comfortable leaning forwards or on all fours. Last few hours of contractions was pretty horrible with both, it wasn't pleasant experience but not hugely traumatic either.

Also wasn't linear, contractions speed up and slowed down with both.

No signs beforehand. Then waves of backache low down. Have never felt a contraction at the front. Oh, and waters didn’t break until nearly at the end of it all. Have also, with six children, never “pushed”, they just come out. Look up Ferguson reflex.

Good luck.

Woke up about 3 am with period pains. Didn't really take much notice, took some paracetamol and went back to sleep. Woke a few hours later and realised that they came in a regular pattern. That was the start of labour for me. My dd was born at 6pm.

I puked and my waters went.
Very early contractions felt lovely, just like my belly going tight.

Niggling twinges in the middle of the night that built extremely slowly until about 3/4pm the next day, when I had to stop and couldn't just keep doing what I was doing.

Both of mine were spontaneous. DDs began with a spectacular breaking of waters including a loud pop ! DS was contractions that started quite far apart then intensified. His waters were broken by the midwife when I was 8cm dilated.
For both, I was next-level moody all day in the run up