Am I in early labour?

[BrassHorses]

41 weeks today. This is my first DC so I'm clueless. I lost a bit of mucus plug yesterday and woke up about an hour ago with period pain that I think was a mild contraction. Since then I've had six tightenings/ period pains where I've been deep breathing through them.

I've got my TENS machine on which is helping me manage when the pains come. The pains last between 45 seconds to a minute and aren't regular but around 7 minutes apart.

I was hopeful this would mean something but also think they're not painful enough if you know what I mean? Painful enough to pace around deep breathing and hold onto the worktop and I have to concentrate but not distressing yet.

Sounds promising to me
Most women I know had period pains that intensify as labour progresses
Good luck and hope later today your are holding your lovely baby

That does sound like early labour which is often described as starting as period like type pain. I would contact midwife triage and just let them know that you think you're in early labour. Have you got someone with you at home?

DH is with me. I woke him up to put the TENS machine on me and have told him to go back to sleep. Annoyingly the frequency of contractions has now really slowed and I've gone from having them every six or seven minutes to now not having one for at least twenty! Maybe it was nothing.

Sounds like when I went in at 41 weeks :) xx

If it's painful enough to require a tens machine then sounds like early labour. Just keep moving about.

Having irregular contractions now sometimes every 12 minutes sometimes less