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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

How did you know you were in labour

28 replies

KittyKat73 · 14/02/2018 12:27

Hey everyone!

I will be 39 weeks tomorrow, first pregnancy and baby due 22nd February.

Even though I have attended every class available to prepare for labour I still feel totally unprepared and no idea what im doing! I know everyones experience will be different and some people have pain/ show/ waters breaking in different orders or dont get all 3.

Last night I started getting pain under my bump on the right side.I had a total OMG IS THIS IT moment but even though it carried on for a few hours on/off there was nothing overnight or today so im thinking it was probably the baby dropping again ( plus everyone says when it happens you will know! since i didnt know i assumed it wasnt haha)

Just wondering what everyone elses past experience was and how they knew

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MimpiDreams · 14/02/2018 12:30

I didn't know. My mum insisted on taking me to hospital and I was so embarrassed as I knew they'd send me straight back home again. Except they didn't, I was taken straight to a delivery room and DD arrived shortly after. I'd been in labour for hours but hadn't realised.

Bananarama12 · 14/02/2018 12:31

The pain was so horrendous I knew! (Sorry) my body then proceeded to empty itself of all fluids (again, sorry)

Arapaima · 14/02/2018 12:32

DC1 - waters breaking was the first sign. Contractions started soon after.
DC2 and DC3 - contractions that started off feeling like Braxton Hicks but soon became more painful and more regular.

Oysterbabe · 14/02/2018 12:34

With DD I got waves of back pain that got worse and worse. With DS my waters exploded Hollywood style then I had strong contractions 2 minutes apart virtually instantly.

LRL2017 · 14/02/2018 12:36

My waters broke and I started to get pains but seriously didn't think it was that much. I was in hospital already due to bleeding the day before and by the time I decided to get some pain relief (paracetamol) thinking I was in early stages I was 6 cm. I started to feel the contractions then but quickly went to 10 cm in 10 mins. Total labour 2.5 hours! (My first)

katmarie · 14/02/2018 12:37

I got back pain initially, coming in waves, which then progressed to being all around my bump as well. It started on the Sunday night and by the Monday morning I was certain I was in labour. The midwife confirmed it but I didn't actually deliver until the Thursday.

blueberrypi27 · 14/02/2018 12:37

The on/off pains were becoming more regular and strong - I’d been in slow labour all week. On the morning I had the baby, I woke up and just ‘knew’. I went for a midwife appointment and a sweep and they said I was showing no signs of labour, but turns out I was right.

RedPandaMama · 14/02/2018 12:38

I woke up around 1am Thursday with pains and my bump going tight, kept happening so thought 'this might be it' and got some more sleep. Glad I did because it went on for 36 more hours!

cheshiremama89 · 14/02/2018 12:39

Period pain the night before
Contractions the following morning
Loss of mucus plug
Waters broke
Upset stomach

spugzbunny · 14/02/2018 12:42

Oooo same due date!

I've been getting more braxton hicks and some back pain over the last week or so but nothing that really hurts! I'm also worried I won't realised it's actual labour! Hopefully it will be a case of owwwwwww that hurts oh I'm in labour!

mindutopia · 14/02/2018 13:16

I'm wondering the same thing lately! With my first, it was really obvious. No signs of anything at all (was only 37 weeks), then my waters went and within 30 minutes, I had a bloody show and a massive clear out and period cramps started. They turned into full on contractions every 5 minutes lasting 1 minute within 2 hours of waters breaking. It all happened really quickly and was obvious it was the start of things. I'd had no signs of anything before though, no BH, hardly any cramps or backache my whole pregnancy, etc.

This time I've had at least two periods of massively clearing out (lots of loose urgent stools over about 24 hours), period cramps and backache and lots of BH several nights a week for the past 3 weeks, one day when I really thought it was all happening as had so much tightening and nausea and was really restless just like I was right at the start of labour with my first. But nope, I'm 40+2 now and still very pregnant. None of that's turned into anything so far.

Anxiouschild · 14/02/2018 13:24

DD1 was an ELCS so I never went into labour.
DD2 thought "these Braxton Hicks seem a bit frequent" (they weren't painful). Downloaded a contraction App and discovered they were every 12mins lasting 30/40secs and they were getting closer together and lasting longer as the hours went on. It was the beginning of a very slow labour though: DD2 was born 3 days later by EMCS, but I was still only 4cm when they fished her out.

notuptoyou · 14/02/2018 14:01

Waters went with my first followed by intense, constant contractions.

Induced with the other 2.

help1978 · 14/02/2018 14:11

I had sharp waves of pain lower back/bum every 5ish minutes for 3 days........

Strokethefurrywall · 14/02/2018 14:34

I didn't know until my waters went - I was having painless Braxton Hicks for ages.

Waters went in the car on way home from obgyn, the contractions started soon after. Went straight to hospital (half mile from house) and I was already 6cms. He arrived a couple hours later.

I remember declaring to my mum on the phone in the car "I just wish my waters would break and then I'd know I was in labor!" - as I said that I felt a click in my abdomen, followed by a gush.

With DS2 I had no idea frankly. Mild contractions between every 2-8 minutes.

Original poster

KittyKat73 · 14/02/2018 16:44

mimpidreams oh my! Id love to not realise I was in labour haha! but im definately too curious about every niggle and pain.

spugzbunny ooh iv not seen anyone else with the same due date yet! goodluck :D hope it goes well for you.

Thanks everyone for your replies It looks I will definately know and the pain will be pretty obvious so no 2nd guessing lol. makes me feel a bit more reassured that I will know.

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annlee3817 · 14/02/2018 16:50

Waters started to break and within an hour my contractions started, I was standing up and the first one bought me to my knees, so then I knew. Everyone is different, I coped well enough, but it did bloody hurt.

Anxiouschild · 14/02/2018 21:51

Kitty you won't necessarily know from the pain. At my final achievement of 4cm the contractions weren't painful (I don't believe they would have stayed that way though!). A bit uncomfortable and niggly, but not painful. However, I did definitely just know.

Newnaime · 14/02/2018 22:12

Same due date!
I worry this too. With my first I was overdue and induced and it happened really quickly so there was no beginning stages or niggly pains/signs.
Every doctor or Midwife I talk to says something like "you've done this before, you know what to look out for" "you know what you're doing" NO I DONT! I had period pains the other day and started crying thinking that's it I've got to leave DD soon and go into hospital. Nothing happened.
I was at the hospital last night for high blood pressure and static growth, hooked up to monitor and swore I was having contractions, nothing showing on the monitor and nothing progressed. I have no idea what I'm doing

beansbananas · 14/02/2018 22:19

My baby was very over due, so I had a sweep. The midwife said she was certain it was going to work as the baby was very low, and 12 hours later I woke up to my first contraction. It sounds like you experienced Brixton hicks, but believe me you'll know the difference when it happens. They had to break my waters 36 hours later, but that's another story of my labour that I'll spare you the details of! Good luck. I read every post going before I gave birth, but honestly nothing prepares you for it. It's unimaginable pain and no two labours are the same, so it's impossible to prepare. But you will get through it and it will be worth every agonising minute.

meandmytinfoilhat · 14/02/2018 22:20

My back felt like it was being squeezed really tightly.

I lost my plug

Contractions every few minutes.

BelfastSmile · 14/02/2018 22:25

With DC1, my waters burst, the way they do in films. I went to hospital and they were able to detect faint contractions, which got stronger as time went on.

With DC2, I realised I was in labour when she landed on the bathroom floor! I'd had niggly pains for several days, and had stopped worrying about them. Then they got worse, and I phoned the hospital, who said it was probably a UTI (I was only at 35 weeks). I believed that for about 20 minutes, when DD arrived and proved them wrong.

Newnaime · 14/02/2018 22:28

belfast that is the stuff of nightmares! It's my biggest fear to give birth at home alone

BelfastSmile · 14/02/2018 23:21

Honestly, @Newnaime if you'd told me it was going to happen, I'd have been horrified! Something similar had happened a friend of mine about a year before, and I remember thinking that it would be my worst nightmare.

In the event, though, it was just one of those things you get on with! Thankfully the ambulance arrived quickly and all was fine.

Newnaime · 14/02/2018 23:25

I think I'm going to leave a key outside somewhere in case I can't get to the door!

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