Was your labour completely out of the blue or did you get symptoms on the run up?

[Spaghettiamaretti]

I’ll be 38 weeks tomorrow with DC3. DC1 was born at 36 weeks when my waters broke randomly and labour started. DC2 came at 39 weeks after induction pessary (which had actually fell out so I’m unsure if I was just going into labour then anyway).
With DC1 although my waters broke contractions started very minimal and took a while to ramp up. The first few could have been mistaken for usual pregnancy aches and pains had my waters not already broken.
DC2 pains just came thick and fast pretty much straight away no warning prior (I.e no light period type cramps it was full on contractions from the get go)

So I was just wondering what everyone else’s experience was like? Brownie point if you tell about your third labour.

I've only had one labour, woke up in the morning with light period pains but they were coming in waves so I knew what they were. Had these all day and didn't even mention anything to my DH until about 6pm when they began to intensify. My waters never broke. The thing that prompted me to get to the hospital was the bloody show and sudden increase of pain.

Currently 30 weeks so interested to see what this time brings.

With my second I had a few nights of cramps and hip pain that disappeared after a couple of hours and then one afternoon I just started getting contractions and within 2 hours the baby was born (almost in the corridor on our way to the delivery ward). The midwife said 1st labours tend to be slow, 2nd faster and 3rd slow but hopefully she is wrong in your case

1st labour was an induction as overdue at 42 weeks.

2nd labour was spontaneous at 40+9 - had low level period cramping for about a week beforehand and waters went at 2.30 in the morning with her making an appearance at 5.30am.

3rd labour I felt very VERY out of sorts at 39+4. Woke up feeling upset, hormonal, was crying etc. Had lost mucus plug a few days before and seemed to be very wet (tmi) all day, but no gush water. Lower back pain all day and a feeling of constant pressure. Decided to go in to get checked out at 12am and as I got in the car, the contractions kicked in. At the hospital they said he had punctured the hind waters, hence wetness, and was pressing on the fore waters, hence pressure. Laboured steadily for an hour, but the fore waters were blocking him, so I told them to rupture them and he slid out (literally) an hour later. All my labours seem slow to about 4cm, and then 4-10cm in an hour, 45 mins and 30 mins respectively