Did you feel 'different' before labour or not?

[MillyStar]

evening!

I'm 38 weeks tomorrow and finishing work on fri so hoping to go into labour ASAP!

I know everyone is different but I just wondered if you ladies who have had babies before felt any different for a few days and you knew it was going to happen or did you literally just feel normal - well as normal as you can feel whilst pregnant!!

[lolajane2009]

nope, my water broke a day before my baby was born and only realised i was in labour when i went to the hospital 7hrs after my water broke to find out if they had because i was leaking.

[jaggythistle]

i had painful BH on and off for a few weeks while i was on maternity leave, they started to last for an hour or so now and again and I'd get all excited!

it never lasted though but the morning i went into labour (a week late) i remember my MIL was round and i was sitting on the couch thinking "this feels different" and not being able to concentrate on what she was saying at all.

my waters went later that evening while i was sitting on my ball messing on the computer.

DS was eventually born by cs 2 days later, have recently found out he was thoroughly back to back and wedged there.

dc2 due in 3 and a bit weeks so reading these stories with interest!

[Dozeyland]

I was bouncing on my birth ball typing away on MN, then at 4pm had back ache, then started to progress. got to hospital by 6:30pm then she was born at 8:33pm...

I dont remember feeling any different as such, I know a few days before I was a bit tearful. but on the day I was fine i think? Just taking it that "It was another day being overdue" - DC1 was days over.

Wonder how this DC will appear.......... 7 weeks to go

[spannermary]

I've been in a mega shit mood since last night - and slept in till 11.15!

Also yesterday I cleaned out the bathroom drawer.

...it's got to be the start of something.... (although maybe just more grumpiness and lethargy)

39 weeks tomorrow.

[MillyStar]

I've had twinges all day today

Dd has been on my right side for weeks and weeks aswell and tonight she's shifted so she's directly down the middle!

I'm still only 38+2 but got a massive feeling she will be here soon!!

[Flisspaps]

You lot are all talking a load of old baloney I think.

I have however had to mop the kitchen, dining room and hallway which is a Big Thing in my house (usually it's one room, not all three that get done in one go), I've been to the Post Office and I even bothered to get dressed today instead of sitting around in my vest and pants.

[BalloonSlayer]

I always love these threads because they are so "Woman-Goddess" like!

Unfortunately I never have anything to add. I think my waters broke because something had to bloody well happen at 41 + 6, and then my uterus thought it might as well contract because otherwise all the other uteruses would all talk about it behind its back or something, but it was all rather half-hearted and there was nothing Goddess-like about it. And then I had 2 elective c-sections.

I can report however that my sister had the utter, unexplained exhaustion thing the day before it all kicked off. And my calmest, most even-tempered friend whom I have never seen even mildly tetchy, said she was in a foul temper the day her 2nd labour started.

[snoozed]

As I was still 2 weeks from the due date, i ignored the strong period type pains I'd been getting, along with the sensation that the baby's head was between my legs making walking difficult, telling dp that 'my body was preparing itself but the baby wasn't coming yet'

I now realise that these were signs of early labour, as I went into labour 2 days after the cramps started.

[ByTheWay1]

mine were both textbook starts - nesting for 2 days, a "show" of goop, 4 hrs later waters broke, 1 hour later contractions start... then it all went odd with breech etc, but the start to labour was textbook!

[jumbly]

I had no idea that either DS or DD would soon be on their way if I'm being honest. However, in retrospect, I should probably have stopped and thought twice as to why I took it upon myself urgently to clean out the fridge and freezer shelves (this is not the sort of thing I usually...aka ever...do) one Saturday night around 9pm. DS was born around 9am Sunday morning.

[Magicrabbit]

On the morning I event into labour I felt really uncomfortable, whether sitting, standing or walking. I went to a Market and felt a bit 'high' and really fancied buying sweets which I did (not my usual choice!). I went home and 3 hours later my contractions started... My ds born 11 hours later.

[LDNmummy]

I had dinner with a friend the night my water broke and as we got up to leave the table I stopped dead in my tracks because I thought my water had broken and even asked my friend to check. A few hours later, it did.

I was not due for another week exactly and was completely unprepared.

I put it down to my natural instincts as it was such a funny feeling I had, as if I knew it was about to happen. I have always been very aware of even the tiniest changes in my body though and am a very hypersensitive person, I can't even take paracetamol without having funny side effects.

After that, I had to be induced anyway. But I definitely knew something was happening. I had no nesting feeling or anything like that, just this very strong sense that my water was breaking some hours before it actually did.

[marshmallowpies]

I got in a really foul mood yesterday afternoon and suddenly caught myself thinking 'is this it?' and then 'I blooming hope not!' as I had plans for the evening and was only just past 37 weeks.

I decided it was just work colleagues getting on my nerves and not to worry. Bump is changing shape all the time but nothing else down there really feels 'different' - I can't work out if I'm getting BH or not.

[neolara]

With dc2, driving home from my in laws, I suddenly got a very strong visual image of a cat circling around and around in blankets as if building a nest in which to give birth. When we got home I got my dh to organize everything we needed for the home birth. Twelve hours later I went into labour at 36 +6. Didn't have anything like that for dc3 though.

[MrsApplepants]

Forgot to say that 2 days before giving birth I had a huge urge to repaint the bedroom, luckily DH talked me out of that one, but it was weird!

[BionicEmu]

I went into labour with DS at 33 weeks - for 2 days beforehand I'd been on a cleaning frenzy, got obsessed with pruning the garden and scrubbing the floors. My pelvis and back had been screwed all pregnancy, and I'd been v tired, but all of a sudden had this rush of "must do something productive" energy. As you can imagine, I had no intention of going into labour at that point so can only think that the cleaning thing is a sign of imminent labour!

Labour ended up slowing, and I had contractions every 10-20 minutes for 5 days. On the fifth day, the docs were all very "this is good, it's all slowed down so baby will keep cooking for a bit longer, probably a few weeks now." That day my mum came to visit me in hospital, but I couldn't stay off the toilet. Seriously, I had diarrhoea constantly. We went for a drink in the cafe, and it was take a sip, go the toilet; take a sip, go to the toilet...Mum was convinced I was going to have DS very soon despite what the docs said. She lives quite far away and she was that convinced he was coming that she didn't go home, just stayed at ours. He was born the next morning :) Guess that proves that mums know best!

[MrsApplepants]

The day before I went into labour I felt hungry, massively hungry, all day. Had a huge bowl of pasta and sauce for dinner and then another before bed (wasn't going to do my heartburn much good but was so hungry!) Woke up in small hours with contractions and delivered later that day. I'm convinced it was my body's way of ensuring I got enough energy for the labour ahead! Good luck and congrats!!

[MillyStar]

I love these stories thanks everyone

[shezzle]

I have had two bubbas so far and pregnant with number 3. I felt really vague about everything the day before and a bit out of it both times. Also woke up to killer contractions around 6am exactly same time for both and had 13 hr labours really wierd! First time I had waters break at 10am, second time had a show on day I was due to be induced (42+3)then contractions as I said at 6am. The night before the second bubba someone told me to get on my hands and knees and scrub the kitchen floor for ages, as I was petrified of being induced(god knows why you just get these ideas into your head when preggers!)It worked- So DD2 came naturally on induction day, she was HUGE. This time am 38+1 and booked in for section due to medical things but baby tried to come early 6 weeks ago and have had labour symptoms ever since and a show! It's strange how different each time can be, off to tescos for a mooch in a minute, if you have your baby in a big store do they give you free stuff?.... I heard M&S do, we all get goodies from there to munch at work and everyone kept saying oooh go into labour when you fetch the cakes!

[Astr0naut]

Nope. With both of mine I conveinced myself that I had every symptom going, but nothing.

With ds, my waters breaking was a sign, but even when I started having contractions, I wasn't convinced.

With dd, I'd had contractions on and off for 3 weeks, so I just ignored them when they became real! It was only when I couldn't settle to sleep and felt really agitated, that I realised that this was it.

dd arrived 2 hours later.

Actually, the energy thing could be right. With dd I'd marched ds to nursery and back, done my online banking, wrapped xmas prsents ( almost 2 months early!), dyed my hair and eaten pineapple.

[pinkyp]

With ds2 I was sick felt awful the days leading up to it

[Scaredycat3000]

I thought a massive shit was the key to it all, as I had done with my first. So with my second, despite contractions I decided to wait for the big poo before I was going to wake everyone up in the middle of the night. That was a mistake. I arrived on the ward 6 min before DC2 was born, I started pooing at the ward doors.

[JustOneMoreQuestion]

I had a MASSIVE rush of energy.

I was teaching aerobics that morning, and all my ladies said "today's the day, we can see it in you"

I absolutely KILLED the class, I felt AMAZING

Then I went up to my Grandma's for lunch, and she said "today's the day, you're changed"

It was eerie that every old lady I saw was telling me (and I wasn't due for another 8 days), but sure enough, I went into labour that night and DS was born a few hours later :o

[VickityBoo]

Oh a post just reminded me, the day before my contractions started I was re-packing my hospital bag! It had been left as it was for about 3 weeks but I had to rearrange it, make sure I knew where everything was etc.