how do you no when your in labour?

[mememummy]

i dont no whether i am in labour or not, went hosp yest with reduced movements and contractions every 9 minutes they sent me home saying they were braxton hicks ther not painful, but im still havin them 24hours later no closer together but im more aware of thm now.
im a first time mum an dont want to ring the hosp cuz i feel like im wastin ther time.

any ideas?? amy

RIng the hosp love, that's what they're there for.
Rule of thumb - if you can still talk while you're having the pains, your not in late stage labour (apparently)

ok, this could be pre labour , as your body gears up for the real thing

if the pains are not getting closer together or more intense, you are not in established labour

being able to talk thorugh the contractions , not having to concetrate on them often means you are not in established labour

you are on the way, but not quite there yet..

once they are every 5 minutes or so, ,and you need to close your eyes and work through them, you need to think about going to hospital

take a couple of paracetomal, have a bath, and a sugary drink

make sure you are eating and drinking lightly , empty your bowels and bladder regularly and try to keep moving as much as you can , sit on a birth ball if you have one

im only 35 weeks and as much as i've had enough i feel so out of it my midwife is awful

I've only been in labour once despite having 3 dc's so am probably not the best person to respond but labour for me felt as though I just needed to sit on the loo. As soon as I got off I would want to go back on again.

When I realised I didn't really need the loo I called the hospital and they said to go in.

Phone them. Put your mind at rest.

i think i will should i mention the swollen ankles and wkd back ache to?

back ache -- have you had your urine tested? could be a urinary tract infection which can give you bad backache and contractions.. certainly at 35 weeks, anything that could be pre labour or an infection needs checking out..

not two weeks didnt even get my bp done at last antenatal

certainly worth getting checked out. if you are not sure about MWs ,then see if your GP can squeeze you in, and then he can refer you to ante natal ward if neccesary

been mw,just said braxton hix cuz heads not engaged

did she check your urine and BP? do you feel better

yeh urine was clear 4 1st time ever and bp low feel better, but wish they could give u definate answers

do you mean a definite answer as to when labour will start?

no just whats goin on with the braton hix, is it or is it not the start???

impossible to answer, just keep an eye on things

Feels like your insides are being crushed and the pain takes your breath away.