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Pregnancy

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

Original poster

What were your first signs of labour?

51 replies

Lou98 · 08/05/2021 21:44

I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow and feeling very fed up and in pain from SPD so just wanted to start a lighthearted thread to pass the time!

I'm just wondering what everyone's first signs were that labour was starting and whether you knew at the time or not that it was labour!

This is my first baby so no idea what to expect! I've been getting period type cramps on and off for a couple weeks now and occasional tightenings but nothing painful or regular.

Today the baby has been super active compared to how he has been, loads of cramping and feeling very heavy down below so think he's dropped!

Interested to hear others experiences 😁

OP posts:
Original poster
Lou98 · 08/05/2021 22:41

@Slub I'm amazed you're still together, I'd have been fuming 😂

That makes me nervous though the idea of going in to labour alone when I don't know what to expect! I just want my partner home now but he's doing this last trip so he can be home for longer once the baby comes, just hoping it all works out okay!

OP posts:
Original poster
Lou98 · 08/05/2021 22:43

Also curious to know if anyone knows - how many weeks did you have your DC compared to when you were born?

I'm so convinced I'm going to go late as my mum was 2 weeks late with all 3 of us and my gran was late with her 3 aswell!

I have no idea if any of it is genetics but I'm curious to know if you went earlier/later than your own mums?

OP posts:
Xaxnxdxrxexaxandrews87 · 08/05/2021 22:45

With my 1st DS I lost some
Of my mucus plug, then a couple of hours later my body started clearing out (toilet 😂)
And then not long after my waters went.

DS2 - fell over on the tiled kitchen floor, waters started trickling, I was then induced

xx

Lollipop25 · 08/05/2021 23:16

On my 1st I was induced so hadn't a clue what to expect, they broke my waters at 10am and stuck me in a drip, DD arrived at 1:35pm and on my second, literally sat up at 4am and felt the pop of my waters breaking, washed myself off and told DH to go back to bed, mild pains up to 5am DH wouldn't stop nagging me about going to the hospital so i rang them and of course🤦‍♀️I was told you need to come in if your waters have broken🤣 got there at 5:45, DS was born at 5:55🤷🏼‍♀️ good times 🤣🤣

Cattenberg · 08/05/2021 23:30

I was born at 37 weeks and my sister was born at 39 weeks. DD was born at 38 weeks.

However, my mum had really short labours and I thought mine might be short as well. It really wasn’t!

Original poster
Lou98 · 08/05/2021 23:37

@Lollipop25 ah that all progressed really quickly for you!! That's what I'm hoping haha, as long as I get to the hospital🙈😂

OP posts:
Original poster
Lou98 · 08/05/2021 23:39

@Cattenberg thank you! My mums labours I think were fairly average, my sister was born just over 2 weeks late with a natural labour of 36 hours (with an epidural), then I was born literally a few mins after she got to the hospital, she ended up giving birth in a side room as I came so quick! And I was exactly 2 weeks overdue. My younger sister she was induced at one week over and took 3 days, ending in an EMCS!

I'm so convinced I'm going to be late because of that but I'd like to go earlier and avoid induction if possible!

OP posts:
Lollipop25 · 08/05/2021 23:41

@Lou98 🤞urs will be a quick, I often think how boring it would be to be in labour for hours and hours🙈 best of luck with the labour, you'll do great🤗

Itsokthanks · 08/05/2021 23:44

Back ache and feeling like I needed a poo.

PurpleFlower1983 · 09/05/2021 06:21

My plug started coming away on the Thursday, felt really ill on the Friday (tired, aching), period pains on the Saturday night and waters broke early Sunday morning.

PurpleFlower1983 · 09/05/2021 06:22

DD came at 38+1

Cannes12 · 09/05/2021 06:24

I woke up really early and was full of energy. So much so I got up (this was like 4 or 5am).
And I just knew labour was going to start that day.
And it did.

JemimaTiggywinkle · 09/05/2021 06:25

I lost a bit of mucus plug in the morning and started having mild contractions in the evening.

I was born 40+1. I gave birth 41+2

BabyMoonPie · 09/05/2021 06:55

At 39+5 I got up for my usual 6am wee and when I got back in bed I "wet myself". Great, I think, my bladder's gone. That was actually my waters starting to leak. My contractions didn't start until evening and DD was born early next morning

Mintjulia · 09/05/2021 07:04

Ds started at 40+4 with dull twinges in my back. He finally arrived, after a bit of a struggle at 40+6. Smile

CheeseandWine91 · 09/05/2021 07:43

I started getting really tight Braxton hicks on the Wednesday, gradually progressing into irregular contractions on the Thursday and then by Friday I started timing them as had to really breathe through them. Midwife came in the afternoon and I was 2cm dilated (until about 6am the following morning - agony!!). I went into hospital at 4cm and had him 6 hours later at 1.48pm. My waters didn’t go until about an hour before I started pushing and then my mucus plug came.

Nat4392 · 09/05/2021 09:03

Watching with interest, I’m 37+3 and anxiously waiting!

Original poster
Lou98 · 09/05/2021 15:54

Thank you for everyone that's replied! My symptoms seem to have eased off a bit today so may still be a long wait for baby!

OP posts:
happytoday73 · 09/05/2021 16:00

First baby woke up an hour after had gone to sleep to rush to bathroom for a number 2... Stomach never settled then contractions started.

2nd child... Day before couldnt settle, day was very relaxed and peaceful... Commented how nice and relaxed day was... then my waters dramatically went 😁

Superscientist · 09/05/2021 18:22

My waters went at midnight. I was offered a sweep to get things moving but I was showing contractions on the monitoring even though I couldn't feel them.
They schedule me in for induction at 10 pm the next day in case labour didn't progress..
By 3 am I started feeling them at 7 am I woke up my partner. I was expecting it to be a long day so wanted at least one of us rested! I got checked out and I was 2 cm. We had been home about an hour or so and I was struggling to cope. I begged to be allowed back thankfully they had room for me as I was fully dilated and she was born within an hour of me arriving at the hospital.

She was born at 38+6, both me and my partner were born at 38 weeks too. My mum actually gave birth to me on the maternity ward as they didn't have time to move her to the delivery suite. I think she was only in labour for less than an hour!

TheMagicDeckchair · 10/05/2021 00:24

I have had pain free early labours. My last pregnancy (twins) I had lightening crotch and pelvic pressure for weeks every bedtime and twin 1’s head was in my pelvis so low they couldn’t get any head measurements for the last two growth scans. It had always gone by morning. When I went in to be induced I was already 5cm dilated.

In my first pregnancy, waters went, sent home to start labour to return 24 hrs later on the drip. Few Braxton Hicks, nothing else, 3 cm when I went in.

They say you’ll know but I didn’t! Not until I was much further on.

georgarina · 10/05/2021 02:12

Felt really tired and PMSy all day. Randomly texted DP to ask him if he felt ready for baby to come. Woke up late that night and lost my mucus plug and contractions started.

SunnySideUp2020 · 10/05/2021 06:09

On my due date at 40w i lost some mucus plug. Then had 2 sweeps the following week and lost a bit more of the plug and at 41w1 i started having regular tightenings (not painful) during the day, stopped in the evening but after midnight suddenly my waters broke and i was in active labor immediately. Baby born 5 hours later at 41w2.

And i was born at 38weeks but being a twin it was planned c section...

joystir59 · 10/05/2021 06:16

Good luck OP Flowers

PlanDeRaccordement · 10/05/2021 06:27

Babies being early or late does run in families.

For mine, labour always started with contractions. Then usually around transition, my waters break on their own and shortly after I am in pushing stage.

First labour was back labour so extremely painful and long. It was 30hrs and lasted from early Friday to Sunday night. I was exhausted, as was the midwife and DH.

The labours after that were regular labour and much less pain, also much much quicker! They always started early in the morning, as in around 2am. So I’d get up and then stand in a warm shower for early labour for a few hours. Then call the midwife, have a breakfast, go for a walk with midwife, and then the baby usually was born around lunchtime.

(All homebirths with no medication. Also refused all sweeps because they carry risk of infection which then causes the waters to break before labour starts).

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