Did you get any signs leading up to labour?

[Wt12]

Or did it just start without any signs beforehand? Were you feeling normal the day before and then it just began randomly? Or could you tell something was about to happen?

Just asking as MW was very confident and said she will be surprised if I make it to my due date, and also if I make it to my next appt (i am 37+3) .. but I don't feel any different or that labour could be imminent. I know baby will come when ready but just after some of your experiences :) x

With my first I went for a long walk the day before and felt funny then, went in to labour over night but felt fine before the walk. I was 40+2 the day I had her.

I'm currently 37+5 with DC#2 so very similar to you and have been having Braxton Hicks and period like back pain all week. Didn't have this last time but no idea if it means I will go any earlier x

I was convinced DD2's arrival was imminent, so called my mum down to look after DD1 (200 mile drive). 10 days later, she was still here waiting, but DD2 wasn't. Sorry mum.

Backache for a few days which slowly went round to my tummy.

Why did the midwife think labour was imminent?

Oh wow so it differs then! @FinnJuhl what a pain!! That's one thing I don't want for it to start and then fizzle out to nothing. I know that can happen though.

I've definitely not had backaches/period type pains so far. Just the usual BH but that's been going on for awhile now anyway. @Tryingtoconceivenumber2 congratulations! Not long to go for us

@plsbequiet she said the baby was very low down (she said 1/5th engaged) but from what i've read that can be the case for weeks and no indication of how close you could be as people have been told the same and have been waiting ages

Thank you. Congratulations to you as well. Hopefully not too long to go now x

@SWSO that's interesting, I had no signs with my daughter until my waters broke, maybe a ramping up of braxton hicks, but nothing else.

I'm currently 36+1 with my second and have had backache for 2 days, to the point where I've been putting a hot water bottle against my lower back to ease it. An osteopathic treatment was no help either. Now I'm wondering if I'm going to go into labour early?!

I’ll follow this thread as curious myself, 39+4 with my first and so far don’t feel like Labour is anywhere on the way 😩 been having more frequent BH from 6/7pm the last few evenings (infrequent obviously) into the early hours but today I’ve felt not pregnant at all.

OP, my girl was engaged 1/5 at 36 weeks and she’s still cooking now! I too thought it might mean she would come earlier but clearly not. Midwife didn’t tell me if she was any further engaged at 38 week appointment unfortunately, hoping she tells me on Tuesday when I see her for 40+1 and does a check on if I’m dilated any!

Nope. Went into labour at 39+6 with no signs at all until the first contraction. DD1 born the next day, on her due date.

Nope. Felt completely normal. Woke up at 39+6, deep cleaned the oven at 10am and my waters broke! Thought I had wet myself! Baby was born not long after midnight on her 'due date'.

Not a single thing felt (no Braxton Hicks or anything) then waters went spontaneously

I had period pains and then irregular contractions for a day. My waters broke at 11.30pm and I gave birthday at 4.41am

I never had any issues with my last 3 pregnancies. But I'm currently 35+3 with baby no 4 and for 2 weeks I've been contracting. Started in my back then round to my tummy. In hospital for 7 days at 33 weeks as doctors thought I was going into preterm labour. Never did.

All till now I'm still having contractions and really bad pressure down below

Nope, literally none, went to bed as normal, woke up to my waters breaking at 3am!

First baby I was lying on the sofa and started having period like pains every 7-10 mins. I went to bed expecting to wake up in agony at some point but they must of stopped but started again the next day around 8am and I went on to have my baby 27 hours later.

Im currently 38+5 and have been getting period pains and very tight braxton hicks over the last week but nothing materialising yet. I was 41+5 the last time so I'm not getting my hopes up!

Possibly, my pain was in my lower back . It gradually spread round my sides into my tummy . That was two days before I went into labour .

Shivering and teeth chattering

I’m 37+3 with baby 2 and now most pregnant I’ve ever been as 1st was 37 exactly. Looking back I had backache for a couple of days - didn’t think too much of it really - and then developed lot of quite painful pressure. When I went in they said he was basically head against my cervix…
currently lots of what i think are Brixton Hicks, very different feeling to last time. Hoping it’ll be soon though.

Cramp! Cramp in my legs on and off for 4 hours and then labour started

I remember have the conversation with my dad at 39+4 that I didn’t feel like it would be anytime soon and labour started that night. (Not that I realised - I woke twice needing a poo but couldn’t go and only on the third time did I realise they were contractions!)

1: increase in heart burn. Loose bowels.
Then cramps that well you know....got more intense!

2: cramps that increased over the course the day. Called my sister (birth partner) at 9am but wasn't completely sure. 2pm knew for sure. Went to hosp 8pm. Ds2 arrived 9pm.

Waters broke during active labour for both.

Oh, losing my plug indicated to me they it was labour, though cramps were perfectly manageable at that stage.

Very first sign was losing 'mucus plug' about 8am on a Thursday (40+3). veryy mild contractions started 6pm that eve, went to hospital 9am Fri, baby not born until 1am Saturday!

Quite a few of us waiting then!! Good luck to you all! It's good to read all your experiences, I see some of you had some signs while others had none at all. It's just a waiting game now 🤣 I do wonder where i'll be or what i'll be doing when it starts. In an ideal world it would start in the morning rather than just before bedtime after a long day lol!

I had zero warning with both of mine, woke up in labour both times and had speedy deliveries xx