Did you have a feeling that your baby would be early? And were they?

[Mybobowler]

I'm 33 weeks with baby #2. My daughter was born early following complications at 34 weeks. I know that this fact is the main reason behind it, but I am convinced I won't make it to 40 weeks.

Baby is big and incredibly active. I'm unbelievably uncomfortable and getting more so. In the last week, my braxton hicks have really ramped up, I'm getting lower back and cervical pain and (sorry, TMI), getting mucus by the bucketload.

I know that these are all pretty standard symptoms for this stage in pregnancy but I've just got a feeling that he's on his way sooner than expected. I don't put much stock in my powers of intuition, but I'd love to know whether anyone else felt like this, and what the outcome was.

Inevitably, me being convinced that he'll be early means that I'll get to 42 weeks and will have to be induced, right?

Yes and yes
But the “feeling” was based on none of my close female relatives carrying a baby to 40 weeks as far as anyone could ever remember.

Mine cane at 36+5 and 39+0 - she was the most well gestated baby we’ve produced for generations!

Yes, I was absolutely convinced my ds would be early, he came 15 days late and even then he didn’t really want to come out!

I was convinced DC 1&2 would be early, both 6 days over.

I was convinced DC3 would be 6 days over… born at 39 weeks 🤣

Thought my first would be early and she came at 37 weeks on the dot. It was less intuition than an assumption based on the fact my mum’s pregnancies were all 35-38 weeks long

Those who were convinced you'd have an early baby but then went past your due date: did your feeling come from a hunch, or were there physical signs/previous history that made you think you wouldn't go to term?

Having another evening of endless braxton hicks, stabbing cervix pain (do they call this "lightning crotch"?), huge pressure and needing to pee, and generally feeling unsettled and a bit off.

So intrigued to see what happens with this one. I never had any explanation for my waters breaking early in my first pregnancy, and my labour (two weeks after waters) was spontaneous. I'm just interested to know whether it was a fluke, or if my body just evicts babies before they're due.

I thought my first one would be late, hadn't a big shock when she was early.

The second one I thought would be early the whole time. At my 37 week appointment the midwife said that they would talk to me about something in the birth plan next week and I remember thinking she would be too late, and I was right he was born that night .

First baby I was 5 days over.

Second baby I just had a feeling I would go earlier. Baby was engaged very early, and I had really strong Braxton Hicks from around 28 weeks. Ended up in labour at 35+6.

Even though I had a feeling baby would be early, I was still woefully unprepared.

I was born early so expected my baby to be early too. She wasn't and I was induced at 40+1.