What are some early signs that you'll be going into labor soon?

Question

I know that before you go into labor you're water breaks or you get contractions but what are the smaller early signs. Do you feel sick or does the baby get real hyper or anything along those lines of smaller symptoms??

Answer 1

Some pre-labor signs:
loss of mucus plug
more frequent braxton-hicks and they may feel stronger
baby drops down further into the birth canal
an extreme burst of energy (usually happens the day before or day you go into labor)
some women complain of PMS symptoms

Answer 2

Not really, your water doesn't always break and if it's your first it rarely does. But one thing is for sure.... you will know you can't take the pain any longer. So many women think they are in labor so much longer than they are even close. When labor is 24 hours away it usually hurts like you have never felt before. My first one was induced... although I had thought I was in labor (without my water breaking) but at 42 weeks they went ahead and induced me. The second my water broke and I went right to the hospital and labored for more than 16 hours there with nothing to eat (I suggest trying to stay home as long as you can manage). The third one my water broke and I didn't have a single contraction/ pain untill it had been about 22 hours after my water broke. Every labor, every baby, every woman is different...but you will know when it is time. Best wishes

Answer 3

Wow this is going back many years, but as I recall my lower back got so sore as if I had over done it like doing too much housework..that is how it felt.....after that I had a lot of pressure that was pressing down and I had to urinate and when I visited the bathroom the water broke and a slight pink color was in the water just a tinge. The contractions started right after that and I didn't' mess around went to the hospital and the first child a girl was born in about 5 hours...so that was great for my first one. I wish you all the best in your labor and delivery!

Answer 4

When I started going into labor it wasnt very noticable.. only reason I even went to the hospital is because I was getting induced that day anyway.. come to find out I was dialted to a 4. The only thing that was noticable about it is that I was really uncomfortable. If i layed down in certian positions I would have pains in my lower stomach and hips. The baby wasnt any more or less active than normal. Also try to keep in mind that everyone is differant when it comes to pregnancy. Very rarely will you find two people with the same exact answer. Good luck to you.

Answer 5

Sometimes that damn nesting thing starts really bad. I cleaned every part of the house and baked 12 dozen cookies the night before I went into labor with my first. my second, I threw up after a big seafood dinner and I just kept saying it was gas pains. Almost didn't make it to hospital. Dr heard me screaming in the background on the phone and said"That's not gas pain!" i think there is a denial stage.

Oh yeah, with the first my water was barely trickleing out so I didn't think anything of it and the dad said that I should tell the Dr.(since I was at appt anyways) AGAIN, denial...I said it was just my kidney leaking something. So after a little bit, I told her about it. We were suppose to go to hosp right away but went at 6 at night. DON"T DENY the signs!!!

Answer 6

I would get a huge burst of energy. Feels like your not even pregnant. Each time I was going to go into labor, for 2 days prior I cleaned, and scrubed the house, and did food shopping, and detailed the cars and did quite a bit of paper work. You just finally feel great an energized, then you go into labor.

Answer 7

I went into labor in the middle of the night - I woke up feeling restless and went to the living room to watch TV -- it took me a while to realize that the restlessness was actually the early contractions. My water didn't break -- the Dr. wound up doing that.

It was 15+ years ago and I still remember like it was yesterday!!
Good luck, and cherish every moment.

Answer 8

hmm there's always the mucus plug that's great lol well although it can still be a few weeks before labor even after you lose it, and I had been told that you clean a lot before you go into labor I know I did. I know there's a few more things I heard but they've all seemed to fade from my memory now. Good Luck

Answer 9

you cant always tell. take me for example, i woke up and my pajamas were a little wet, so i thought i wet the bed, it was only a very little bit so i just figured "wow, baby must be really pushin on my bladder" well i kept leaking fluid but it was a really small amount and it was really slow. i had an OB appointment that day and when i told the doc about the fluid leaking she checked and sure enough my water had broken. my water broke at about 6:30 am and it was 1:00 pm and still no contractions or anything. so they induced me.

Answer 10

actually the baby does not move a lot, because his/her head goes down toward the birth canal. you will probably notice a lack of activity/kicking/squirming. also your friends might notice that your belly seems to "drop" meaning it looks a lot lower--also because of the baby positioning him/herself closer to the birthing stance--head down and facing toward the back (towards the delivery table is the usual way, not "sunny side up" as they call occiput deliveries).

another thing your friends might notice is that your nose or other features of your face look just a little bit broader. nurses can see "that look" pretty easily so if you know one, ask them about it.

i experienced the same thing as a previous answerer--the sudden urge to clean everything in the house. they used to call it nesting, supposedly that your body intuitively knows that soon is the time you'll be unable to prepare the crib sheets, mop the floor, etc.

you might check the toilet, too, if it's not too gross for you. you might possibly lose a plug of mucus or bloody mucus soon before you start labor. it will either look white like mucus does, or red/pinkish like it has blood on it. that's not a bad thing if it has blood--it means baby is heading out soon.

best wishes for you & the little one. remember to breathe during delivery! :)