how did labour start for you?

[Naomip88]

I'm 38 weeks pregnant and keen to hear peoples stories of how labour started for them- feeling a bit anxious about the birth so it would be nice to hear some peoples stories.

My waters broke both times. First time round I was eating chilli and rice and watching Kill Bill and they just popped all over the sofa. No signs, nothing. Second time round, I was in bed just dozing off to sleep. Again, an audible pop and a massive gush.

I had a ton of Braxton Hicks a couple of weeks before and so I just dismissed most of early labour (39 weeks for me) as most of the same. It was only after a while that a noticed that I kept shifting around on my chair and that they were getting closer together, it was about then that I realised that it was probably labour. Waters didn't break until I was fully dilated and ready to push; everyone is so different!
I don't think I felt too different on that day, just very tired and very swollen with water retention.
I'm 36.5 weeks with DC2 and I can see all the signs, don't think I'll make the due date with this one either.

I was in Nandos(!) and felt some mild pains in my lower back. Realised they were getting more intense and we're coming at regular intervals. Very undramatic! Contractions then went on for 40 hours before actually going into 'active labour', DD born 8 hours later.

Diarrhoea then very irregular contractions with ds. At first I thought it was just stomach cramps as I spent all day on the toilet. Eventually became apparent that it was contractions.
With dd my waters broke and then I had a first twinge about half an hour later.

Oh and my waters were broken for me by the midwife about 2 hours before she was born.

started feeling random mild period pains walking round tesco one morning, they carried on throughout the day getting more painful. was a good few hours before I realised they were contractions lol. 1 am they were bad enough to go to labour ward.. ds was born 12 hours later!

No signs of labour first, cried all evening thinking the baby was never coming on her own! Woke up at midnight needing a wee thought I'd wet the bed a bit went to change my knickers and pop a massive gush of waters broke all down me!

Mucous plug went then terrible backache for around 12 hours until I realised the terrible backache was even worse in waves of roughly 5mins. Also diarrhea at this point. A few hours later went in and baby born 18 hours after that. Back-to-back baby.

Nausea, no water but contractions every 5 minutes pretty much straight away.

Bit of back ache...went away after a couple of minutes...came back about 20 mins later.

Period like pains that led to contractions with first two, third woke up at midnight for a wee, trickle down my leg then waters broke in small gushes and contractions started about 45mins after that.

Had dinner, was really sick a couple of hours later.
Waters broke at 5am, all over the bed, temporarily thought I'd wet myself! We went to hospital at around midday they tried to send me home as didn't think I was in labour "enough"
DS born at 4pm
Stupid midwife. That showed her

4 weeks of random on off period pains. Then induced on my due date. Nothing at all happened for over 24hrs. Then the period pains were back and regular. Continued for 3hrs then waters went. 30 mins later baby was born.

Felt a little constipated whilst out shopping (midday). Decided to go home to use the toilet and then sat at home eating dried apricots to try and loosen things up -not thinking labour at this point. Got very uncomfortable and was screaming in pain about an hour later and it was coming in waves a few minutes apart. Phoned the midwife at this point who told me to get my husband home. Was at hospital at 3pm. So no real signs and very quick. Had lost my mucous plug 10 days before but told that didn't mean too much.

its was 9pm in may. i was barefoot. stood on a wasp that was inexplicably on my bedroom floor.. it stung my toe. the shock of that broke my waters!

First pregnancy I was induced at 42 weeks after a scan showed i had one tiny pocket of fluid left. Don't even remember having braxton hicks with that one or any other signs at all

Latest pregnancy (DS 2.5 weeks) went to 41.5 weeks and I was booked in for induction. The day I was booked in for induction I woke up at 6am that morning with contractions every 15 minutes. They got to 10 minutes apart within a few hours but then stuck there and didn't progress so I ended up still having to go to induction appointment. But they found i was 4cm and so left me to do it naturally in the MLU after another sweep

HI There, with my first pregnancy my labour pains went on for hours starting on a thursday afternoon but when i went to bed that night i had no trouble falling to sleep but i kept waking up rolling around the bed moaning out aww ouch eeh but it didnt a occur to me until i had one big 1n realised and thought im sure i done this abt 10 mins ago, WHT BABY DUE COMING!!! Frantically waking up my partner we set off with my bags to the hospital n ended up going straight back home by late morning i was back at hospital again in so much pain they kept me in and at 21:21 my7lb 6oz baby boy was born
my second child, it was on a tuesday evening i was cleaning the kitchen aft dinner thinking right aft this im going to bath my son so i can watch eastenders with out rushing abt afterwards then PULL POP SPLASH my waters broke my daughter was born that night weighing 8lb 4oz