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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Tell me your first signs of labour please...

24 replies

Ghost88 · 05/02/2020 22:01

Hi all,
I’m 39+3 and currently obsessing over every little symptom thinking it’s labour!

What were your early signs?

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Barracker · 05/02/2020 22:03

My water broke, both times.
Kinda big sign 😁

Mynewworries · 05/02/2020 22:03

I'm 39+2 and in the exact same boat!

With my first, the only sign was lower backache one evening. Then I went to bed and my waters broke during the night, and it all kicked off!

Sleepycat91 · 05/02/2020 22:26

DS i had back pain for couple of days before my waters broke and cleaned the whole house top to bottom but nothing happened past that so had to be induced. DD however i knew it was coming, i got REALLY restless, constant BH, i didnt know if i was coming or going, i really wanted to wash my floors (but didnt because i frankly couldn't be arsed), had my bloody show on the tuesday and 2 hours before my waters broke midnight on the thursday, i was sick and BH got stronger the more i moved about.

nousername95 · 05/02/2020 22:36

I was five days over and driving home when my whole tummy got tight (but no pain) and my waters didn't even break until an hour before baby was in the world!
I was also the same, took too a large bite of a German hotdog about two weeks before my due date and was convinced it was the beginning of labour 😂

nousername95 · 05/02/2020 22:37

I should add, that the tightening was the signs of very early labour as she didn't come for another two days 😭 but it wasn't painful at the beginning!!

PETRONELLAS · 05/02/2020 22:42

Bit like period pain. Waters ‘popped’ when I was on the loo first time.
You’ll know.

R2D2abc · 05/02/2020 22:45

I remember what I was told at the antenatal class: once you have labour contractions you won't be able to sleep. So at 3:30am decided to wake husband up and tell him I hadn't slept and was time to go. I was right, baby born that evening.

TheCraicDealer · 05/02/2020 22:50

Lost my bloody show in the morning and then that night was lying in bed and woooooosh- waters went. Luckily I had a towel down! I'd also had some mild cramps off and on that day but nothing dramatic.

Bluerussian · 05/02/2020 22:50

I had very gentle contractions, of course I wasn't sure they really were contractions because they were so mild but kept coming for a few hours so I had some inkling. I remember my husband saying, "It can't be, it's too early", :-). Er, yeah, born five days early, hardly prem.

It changed, contractions became stronger and closer together, then waters broke at which time I went into hospital to be delivered which didn't take very long. I'm glad I stayed at home, on my feet, for most of it, 'twas a good experience.

Overseasmom100 · 05/02/2020 22:55

10 days before due date I woke up about 1am and got up for the toilet. I had diarrhea. Went back to bed 10 mins later same again, said to DH I thought I had food poisioning as we'd had chicken for tea. My stomach started to cramp and again sat on the toilet and diarrhea again...just like you get when you have food poisioning. Diarrhea stopped but cramps didnt.

Rang hosoital they said take paracetomol and have a bath. I started feeling scared as realised I was in slow labour. Cut a long story short this carried on till 6am. Eventually rang hosp again who told me to come in. I have 1cm dialated but as the pains were every 2-3 mins they kept me in...the pains cramps kept stopping and starting. Eventually 2 days later having been on a ward I had DS...had to have waters broken in end.

Ridethewaves · 05/02/2020 23:55

No signs whatsoever until I got out of bed one morning and my waters broke. Contractions started straight after.

lovesT · 12/02/2020 09:03

Hello 👋 glad I've found this post. I'm 39+5 with first baby and finding it really hard to know what to look out for!

For the last few days my tummy has been getting really tight quite frequently and feels uncomfortable. I've been getting more braxton hicks and the last two nights have had pretty painful back cramps that I sometimes feel around the front too. In the day time it's more just the tummy tightening...

I've had no mucous plug or anything, but do these things mean anything or just normal part of late pregnancy?!

NaomiSophia · 12/02/2020 11:26

@lovesT I’m 39+4 and literally had the exact same thing for two days! Feels like it’s worsening at night and it’s a struggle to get to sleep now this morning they’ve lessened a little.

Bowels have been a little loose and cramping more intense as the days go on but nothing consistent enough to want to phone midwife or triage. Booked for a sweep on Friday after already having one last week

Fingers crossed we get to see them soon enough! I’d rather the pain happened and it just kept going than this stop and start

Nik101 · 12/02/2020 11:33

My waters were trickling all day, but I thought maybe it was just a bit of wee. Finally went up to hospital and waters properly broke just as I walked in to the lift 🙈.

lovesT · 12/02/2020 11:41

@NaomiSophia yes I'd rather that the pain was leading to actual labour rather than just keeping me up at night! Last night wasn't as bad as the night before where I hardly slept but the pain is enough to stop me from sleeping. I feel like I've had very milk period like cramps at the front but very mild and not that often.

I have my next midwife appointment on Friday and I'll be exactly 40 weeks. I'm not sure if they'll offer a sweep or not as they haven't mentioned it before, I've just hear about it. Sorry if tmi but the last two days I tried to feel my cervix and couldn't reach so I'm feeling like that's not even in the right position if they did offer a sweep ☹️ could they reach yours?

Yes hopefully we'll meet them soon! Is this your first?

TheWuzzles · 12/02/2020 11:46

Tiny bit of pink water. That night, my waters broke

ChanklyBore · 12/02/2020 11:47

Massive contraction that could not possibly have been mistaken for anything else. Followed pretty much instantly by another, and another, and so on, then waters, followed by baby.

I did call the labour ward pretty much straight away and they made soothing noises and suggested a bath and paracetamol, I couldn’t make myself understood enough through the massive contractions and they kept putting me on hold to go and get a different midwife etc, I got frustrated so rang my partner at work instead but couldn’t make him understand either so he just decided to come home. Both useless!

So basically first sign, contractions massive enough that I couldn’t talk through them or make myself understood, and not enough gap between them to use the time for anything remotely useful like saying a sentence.

Raindancer411 · 12/02/2020 12:10

Mine started with having a bad backache over night and I couldn't sleep. Managed to sleep for an hour at 6-7am and was fine. Later that day at 5pm my fore waters broke.

NaomiSophia · 12/02/2020 13:07

@lovesT sorry I was having a little nap 😭 they should discuss it with you and discuss induction options. I had mine last week and they had advised bishop score of 6. Apparently this corresponds to how favourable you are for induction. I was 1cm dilated apparently, soft and opening. But on the Wednesday I was completely posterior and it was hard so it changed in two days for me.

Chances are they’ll ask if you want them to check it out on Friday and then they should offer the sweep as long as they can get a good pull on the cervix/membrane. If they don’t mention I’d maybe say to them or call in advance maybe tomorrow and tell midwife it signs as it does seem like your progressing and see if they’ll do it on Friday. This is my first, is it the same for you?x

lovesT · 12/02/2020 13:38

@NaomiSophia no worried I literally just did the same 😂 soo tired and wish I had the energy to do things! Yes this is my first.

I don't want to be induced as I am booked in at a birth centre so want to avoid that and definitely want baby to come sooner so there is less risk of that, but if a sweep would help I would be happy with that I think 😊 I'll ask the midwife on Friday and see what she says. I'm just being impatient really because I'm so uncomfortable and we are ready for baby to be here but hopefully it will happen naturally soon. It's just confusing when pains happen! I hope things start to happen for you soon 😊

lovesT · 18/02/2020 06:06

Now I can actually post from experience... had my little girl on Saturday 🥰🥰

My first signs were back pain at 3am which I'd had before I think when her head was engaging so didn't think too much of it until the back pain became more regular and came around the front like period pain and then got steadily closer together. My TENS machine was invaluable and somehow I got through to 7cm dilated with just that and two paracetamol 😳

I didn't lose my plug until I was in established labour and had to have my waters broken at the birth centre. So back pain was the first sign!

mamasiz · 18/02/2020 06:23

Has a stonking great headache the day before - so bad that I went to hospital to be checked over. While I was there I was having small contractions - so small I didn’t even notice, the midwife observing the monitor told me. Early hours of the following morning I started with cramping pains and 30+ hours later my son arrived. Good luck!

Kinsters · 18/02/2020 07:56

Waters broke! Nothing before then that I couldn't be sure wasn't just the increasing discomfort of late pregnancy.

bobble53 · 18/02/2020 09:14

Back ache which felt like bad period pains.

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