What was your first sign of labour?

[boolean]

I am 38+1 with my first and wondering what is the most common sign of labour starting and whether it is true that most happen in the middle of the night??

So, quick straw poll time!

What did you experience first? Contractions, waters breaking, a show...something else?

And what time did labour start and how long was it?

DH keeps asking me about what might happen during labour and I have to keep reminding him that I don't have an effing clue!!

My waters broke spectacularly as I was nodding off at about midnight. Contractions began an hour later. Ds was born at 9.20 am.

Mine was a show at 42 weeks at 8am in the monring...clear jelly stuff..didn't realise what it was until the pains kicked in in the afternoon!

Was induded,c-sectioned for the rest so no signs.

Big wet patch in the bed when I woke up at 7am

With dd1 my waters broke just after I had fallen asleep, at midnight. Contractions started immediately and she was born 13 hours later.

With dd2, I had been having braxton hicks for weeks, then two nights of painful contractions following a sweep, then finally going into proper labour. Full blown labour this time was 7 hours.

Today I am 38 weeks pregnant and I'm also wondering what will happen this time!

Show followed by contractions with them all.

Varying shows, some alsting weeks before hand!

Contractions mainly the start.

Mild contractions (regular but only slightly painful) for about 12 hours before things really got started - also felt weepy and out of sorts for a couple of days before. Things then got properly started when I felt my waters go (show at same time), painful contractions increased and baby arrived about 9 hours later. Good luck!

Had a show around midnight. Contractions started around 3.30am. DD born at 7.30am.

My first pregnancy was contractions they started in the middle of the night, I remeber waking and looking at the clock about 1am, DD was born at 11:05 pm that night so about 22 hours later. I had no sign of labour starting when I had gone to bed that night....I was 40+6.

Second pregnancy I was induced so contractions started again first. I was 40+2.

Hi. Every labour is different and you might not even experience a show like me. I was overdue and ended up being induced, which brought contractions on immediatly. I had pains, like period pains and then my waters broke and the contractions came thick and fast!
My labour started at 1pm and my dd was born at 10.30 that night!

at 38weeks had mild nausea in the evening. a show at 7.30am. then off to hospital for monitoring. ds born at 2.56am the next day.

my waters never broke - were done so by mw and son was born seconds later!

i'm 35 weeks now and already starting the 'am i in labour' game b/c i've been having so many braxton hicks... the waiting and obsessing may drive me mad. also need to be careful about what threads i read as i'm feeling v squeamish about the birth

Oh dear, I'm not sure if it is starting this thread or something else but I have started to feel really queasy!!

Thanks for all your quick responses! Sounds like the best thing to do is wait and see and not worry about every little twinge...

boolean- yes try and ignore every little twinge and concentrate on something else, otherwise the next few days and possible weeks will seem very very long - I speak for myself as well of course!

Had a 'show' on friday morning then pains in my back 4am saturday morning, dd born 9.30pm saturday night.
It was my first and she was a week early.

A show then backache followed by contractions with DS. Contractions stopped again though and ended up induced.

This time, loads of shows, crampy backache and loads of uncomfortable BHs but no real labour yet (or at least I don't think the BHs are labour.)

Chronic diarherrieaourrrea.

Woke up one morning and thought I had wet myself Then realised my waters were leaking, had dd the next day - 2 hour labour

Also, 3 days before I went into massive nesting mode - I even cleaned every socket and light switch in the house - Now I see it was a sign

Oooo. I've had a massive energy rush for the last 3 evenings and have been cleaning everything in sight.. nothing seems clean enough. Hope that isn't a sign, have 4 weeks to go.

woke up at 8am and when to toilet and had huge show, back pain all day contractions started in the evening.

waters breaking at 36+6 (both) at 10pm (ds1) and 11.30pm (ds2)
followed by 1st contraction 30 mins (ds1) and 10 mins (ds2) later
followed by birth 2 hrs (ds1) and 15 mins (ds2) after 1st contraction
I don't think I am overly typical.

I was 40+8 and i was woken up by a contration at 06.49am on the Sunday(lol I can still remember it) It was like a strong period pain. DD was born on the Tusday at 17.02pm. Bloody long labour (but I would do it agin in a heartbeat) MW Broke my waters at 9.00am on the Tuesday morning and DD still took 8 hours to make an apperance to get here.

an audible pop followed by rush of waters at about 10pm, was busy reading harry potter lol-how inconvenient! remember being 7cm at about 2am, ds born at 4am ish emcs. good luck!

wanting to fart after being woken by a mild contraction in bed - except the 'fart' was my waters breakin and i felt a small trickle of warm water leak out. regular contractions had started by the time we got to the hospital about an hour later. 14 hours after that DS was born.