In hindsight, were there any signs that your baby was going to come early???

[iamwhaticallpregnant]

Hello, 2nd Q of the day.
I can't describe why I feel like I do at the moment but I just have this 'feeling' that my baby is going to come early. I am due in Feb.
So I was just wondering if anyone had their baby weeks early and if they 'knew' it was going to happen - or if in hindsight you realised there were signs that they were going to come early?

Bump. I would like to know this too actually,

maybe it's wishful thinking as I want to meet him already - but I just have this feeling that I could go into labour any day - but it's my first so I have no clue. And I feel a sense of readiness for it.

I'm interested in this too. Also due in Feb and have a 'feeling' I'll go into labour early. Not sure why: DD was bang on time and my due date is, if anything, a few days earlier than I think it should be (based on when I think I got knocked up...).

So interested to hear stories!

I think my reasoning is that my partner was born very, very early (at 25 weeks) and it runs in his family. My sister was born a week or two early but nothing too amazing. I wasn't sure if it ran in the family in a sense, probably a stupid comment to come out with but I really am not sure.

I am due April but reckon she'll come in late Feb/March time (due early April, so anywhere from 30 weeks onwards).

After reading that asked my partner and he said he was 2 weeks late. I would also like to see how common it is from the responses that people are early.

My sister and I were both born early, and her two daughters were early, so I was quietly confident that DD would come early too. And she did - 3 wks. I wouldn't think history on father's side likely to make any difference.

My DC1 came 6 weeks early, if that counts? I was admitted with pre-term labour at 33+3 weeks and eventually had him at 34+0 weeks.

Up until about 33 weeks I'd had no inkling at all that he would come early. He was my first baby, so I was expecting him to be late! At 32 and a bit weeks (can't remember!) I had what I thought was a show, then had very,very mild period pains for a few days. But mild to the point where I only noticed them because I was sat down reading a book, I think if I was busy doing something I wouldn't have noticed them. Went for a routine scan at 33+3, mentioned the odd pains, they examined me and found I was 2cm, and the rest is history! Up until that exact point I didn't think he would be early, I'd just put the odd pains down to Braxton-Hicks etc.

Family-wise, I was 2 weeks early and my younger sister was 3 weeks early. Nobody in my mother's family has ever reached their due date. Similarly, my paternal grandmother had both her children early - my dad was 6 weeks early, and his younger sister a few weeks early, nobody seems that sure. Not sure if DH's family history is relevant or not, but he was born at 38 weeks, but ended up being an EMCS due to foetal distress.

I'm now 32+1 weeks with DC2! I've been admitted into hospital twice with threatened pre-term labour, had steroid injections etc at 27 weeks as it looked like he was coming, but things have settled down now. Weirdly I have a funny feeling I'm going to go overdue with this one!

When you say early, do you mean any time before 40w or actually premature, before 37w?

I was induced at 38+1 so didn't go into labour naturally, but I did feel I was going to pop any time around then anyway. Before inducing they said I was already 1cm dialated. I'd had mad braxton hicks in the days before then, and twice during w37 they thought I was having actual contractions when strapped to the monitor (they just felt like BH to me though).

Well I am 30 weeks at the moment - I don't really know when - I just feel like it'll be sooner rather than later.

I had no clue. DS was 8 weeks early and it was just the same as any other day, plenty of kicks etc. It was only the fact I had a midwife appointment that day that saved his life, no pains, no bleeding, no contractions...nothing. Less than an hour after my appointment started DS was born!

Family wise, I was 10 days early, my siblings were all slightly after their due date. OH is a twin so MIL was induced at 36 weeks, his siblings were all around their due date

I had DS early (33 weeks) and was totally shocked by it. No inkling beforehand. I think I did have a bit of nesting instinct thing a day or two before what I now know were labour pains. No record of any preterm births in my family - all go late if anything! Hoping this one'll go longer. My niece was due the same time and was convinced hers would come early but went to term after weeks of on/off contractions. I don't think you can 'know' these things in advance.

Gosh Fuckity - that must have been a shock .

I had that feeling with my first. She ended up being induced as was showing no signs of coming by due date and was big.

With the second I was convinced she would be late too, so planned on the section being early November. Then one Tuesday I went to se my ob gyn and he brought the section forward two weeks to the Friday three days later, in mid October. The Wednesday night I hummed and hahed about going in as I felt something was happening, and went in on the Thursday afternoon earlier than planned. We kept the Fiday morning appointment but they think she'd have started of her own accord that day, at 37 weeks exactly.

So my 'feelings' were wrong both times. Sorry, that probably doesn't help you much does it.

Not really early, but both DSs were born on 37 weeks.

I had no thoughts they would be (other than for DS2, I kind of expected it as DS1 was early).

I have a feeling this baby will be slightly early. I don't know why though as ds1 was induced at 42 weeks, ds2 was induced at 40 weeks at ds3 was born at 40+3 so I've never had an early baby (luckily) I just feel like he may be a couple of weeks early. I've had lots of braxton hicks, urine infections and I have done nothing at all to prepare for this baby so he will probably surprise me.

LeBFG It was a bit!

The week before I was talking to my sister, joking about how my pain threshold is pathetically low and what the hell was I going to do in labour. 'I'm going to go to sleep and the fairies will do it' I replied confidently.... As it turned out, thats exactly what did happen!

What does a Braxton H feel like? How do you know you have had one?

Fuckity - are you saying if you hadnt been at MW your child would have died? That'sscared me a little....

iam - Yes. He had been kicking and moving about as normal that day (y'know kick kick kick, have a little rest, kick kick kick, have another rest), when I got to the MW he had stopped for a 'rest' except she couldn't find his heartbeat. Sent me straight to the hospital (luckily only 5 minutes away when driving rather fast), they found the heartbeat on a scan but it was incredibly low. After being raced through the hospital, I had an EMCS. The surgeon said afterwards that it was the quicckest delivery he had ever done...was something like 18 minutes from me entering theatre to DS being delivered

My MW came to see me the day after and she said to OH outside the room that she never expected the happy outcome and had actually come to see how I was doing :(

Was bloody scary but obviously incredibly rare. All of the tests the hospital did afterwards came back no problem, and DS has had no after-effects

iamwhaticallpregnant they feel like a tightening of your belly, like all of a sudden your belly will go completely rigid and solid, can be uncomfortable but they shouldn't be painful (in my experience of them)

My braxton hicks feel like tightenings and cramps (and they are painful for me sorry) and I end up sat in the toilet and having to breathe through them.

I was early by 2 weeks, and my brother was a day early so I know my daughter would be - she was 8 days early. Had no signs other than strong braxtons for a couple of weeks before.
This time round I think Ill still be on the early side of the due date, but I think I might be having a boy this time so probably slightly nearer to it.

Yeah they just feel like a real rigidity of the stomach that seems to increase and hold for anything from a second to thirty seconds and then just loosens. It kind of reminds me of getting a blood pressure test, but from the inside out. :o

My friend said she knew she was going to have her baby early because she hadn't been able to eat a whole meal for weeks, baby was lying very high in her belly and squishing her stomach. She had reflux, indigestion, and could only manage mouthfuls of food at a time.
Then one day she was able to eat whole dinner and pudding - baby had 'dropped' and she gave birth the next day, a good few weeks early!

Call me a cynic, but 99% of these 'feelings' are just feeling pregnant.

If you are due in February trust me, you want to wait a good few weeks yet.

Fuckity, 18 minutes from entering theatre really isn't that short of a time. They couldnt have thought your baby was literally dying or you'd have been asleep and he'd have been whipped out immediately.

I had a placental abruption at 27 weeks with one of mine. I was put to sleep and he was out in minutes. All I remember if having to sign forms while in agony being wheeled down the corridor.