Really don’t know if I’m in labour or not!

[IHateYourCarpet]

I feel so silly even having to ask this I have a really bad head cold and just don’t know if I’m unwell/hallucinating or being too optimistic!

I’m 40+2. Bloody show yesterday, baby has been 1/5 engaged for two weeks. I think I’m contracting every 25-30 minutes. But I have been since around 9pm yesterday. They’re not intense, it’s more tightening than anything else. My abdomen goes really hard, lasting around a minute. Like if I’m laying down, it’s almost impossible to get up in the middle of one. It’s like everything is too tense to let me move. They aren’t painful, but cause me to have difficultly bending, it’s more of a really intense pressure I guess. Like there’s a rubber band around my hips. My legs and pelvis ache. I constantly feel the need to urinate or have a bowel movement. I’m nauseous, hot/cold and dizzy(but I guess I do have a head full of snot!)...

They don’t feel like my Braxton contractions. It doesn’t ease if I move around or lay down etc. Everything just aches and feels right and uncomfortable.

Can I get your opinions? I’m just really uncomfortable and not sure if it’s labour or I’m just unwell.

Sounds like labour to me - or the beginnings of.

Bugger. I was hoping me and my snotty nose could avoid a potential hour drive to the hospital!

Sounds like v early labour but you could be like that for days yet. Ring your labour ward and ask them when to come in (if you don't know already) i.e. how long and close together should contractions be. Try and keep moving in the meantime to encourage things along - long walks and bouncing on a birthing ball are good xx

It might be worth getting checked out if you are so unwell. I had a chest / ear infection around the time I had my third and it completely floored me. I wasn't at all focussed on myself and, in retrospect, should have been on ABx. I ended up deaf in one ear for three months and it was miserable.

Also the dizziness could be unrelated to the cold so worth ruling out as something serious.

Could be very early labour but it can stop and start so unless your waters break or you really know about your contractions then I would just relax as much as possible. Contractions that move labour along )active labour if you want to call it that) will be unmistakable. Honestly, you'll know.
Good luck

Very very very early by the sounds of it. May stop completely or turn in to labour. I would take regular paracetamol, hot water with lemon and honey and try and rest up if you can to know this cold on the head

Good luck OP keep us up dated! Xx