How did you know you were in labor?

Question

Did you have contactions, did you even know at all?

Did you know right away you were really in labor?

How was your experience?

Answer 1

My daugther was breech and I had to have a c-section.

Yes, you do have contractions and they should be about 5 minutes apart when you go to the hospital unless your water breaks then you should immediately go to the hospital.

Answer 2

My second child was a planned c-section (no level 1 trauma hospitals nearby) so I didn't experience labor. With the first child, I went into labor at 21 weeks for the first time. I had contractions that were quite painful and were coming closer together. I finally went to the hospital and I was indeed in labor so I was given injections to stop it. It happened a few more times before my labor finally needed to be induced at 36 weeks because I had really high blood pressure. A few times between 21 and 36 weeks I had what turned out to be braxton-hicks contractions (false ones), but they hurt so bad I couldn't really tell the difference. Apparently the machines they use to record the contractions only pick up real ones, that's how they know the difference. Ironically enough, the day my labor was induced, I was hooked up to the detection machine before I'd been given anything and it showed I was having contractions, but I wasn't feeling a thing. How's that for weird?

Answer 3

I started acting strange. I was cooking enough food for an army and sanitizing my house like a mad woman ( I lived alone). Then later that day my water broke. I went to the hospital and 8 hours later my daughter was born.......and she was beautiful. Life has been wonderful ever since. She's 11 now and the best kid in the world. You will know when you are having contractions. When you are in labor do your best to relax. It helps. You are about to embark on a great adventure. Peace be with you throughout your life.

Answer 4

I knew I was in labor by the strong contractions which felt like serious cramps that wouldn't go away for quite a while. (first one lasted 5 minutes) Later on the cramps had more down time in between each which was nice. So when you are uncomfortable and wonder if you are contracting look at your belly, if it is tense/and tight it may be a contraction but the feeling of menstural cramps will really tell ya! Other indicators was diahrea (my body was naturally emptying itself to save me the embarrasment and mess during delivery).

Answer 5

It can be really hard to tell. I had false labor 4 times before the real thing, and they felt exactly the same. My advice, if you think you are in labor and the contractions are 5 minutes apart or less (contractions feel like a squeezing in your whole belly or can be pain in your back), go to the hospital and get checked. No one will laugh at you if you are wrong!

Answer 6

I wanted to cry. Actually I WAS crying through my contractions.

I used to get SO SICK of people telling me, "Oh you'll know, you'll know!" I'm like, "HOW will I know??" Trust me...you will. I assume you're pregnant, and are having Braxton Hicks contractions (Your uterus gets rock hard, but not painful)? Imagine that, only having the worst worst worst menstrual cramps you can imainge and multiplying the pain of them by 100. That is what contractions felt like for me. Also, I felt lower down in my abdomen like I had really horrible diarrhea cramps (like you get when you have the stomach flu or food poisoning.

I knew I was in labor because the doctor broke my water for me. It was shortly after that that my contractions began.

My experience was awesome...Broke my water at 8:30 p.m. Dilated from 3 cm to 5 cm in about 2 hours. Cried, screamed, begged for my epidural. Had epidural at 11:30 p.m., dilated from 5 cm to 10 cm in a little over an hour (the epidural relaxed me enough that I stopped fighting the contractions and breathed through them and let my body do what it was supposed to do instead of tensing up), pushed for 30 minutes and my baby was born!

My second son was an emergency c-section. I wasn't having real contractions, but I ended up going to the hospital for a nonstress test (baby had been very inactive all day) and found that having the Braxton Hicks contractions was putting him in distress and his heart rate was dropping.

Answer 7

My water broke, but this only happens in about 15% of labors. I think most women just start feeling contractions.

Answer 8

i lost my plug. and then my mom felt of my belly and told me i was having contractions.(i never felt them, well only the last three)20 min later the baby was here i didnt even feel transition. i just bearly got to the hospital NOTE: this was with my first pregnacy and i had no drugs at all!!! one tip for a easy delivery with out drugs is walk alot (i walked for 9 hours ,thru wal_Mart, the night before i went had my son) and above all stay calm and remember after the baby comes out the pain goes away. the calmer you are the quiker the baby comes out.

Answer 9

I had back pain, and my water broke with my oldest daughter. With my youngest son I had my water broken because he was a planned c-section. And with my youngest daughter I had contractions all day and my water broke at 4 PM.

My oldest son is adopted.

Answer 10

I don't remember what gave me the first clue. It was either the excruciating pains in my lower abdomen and back, or the gallons of water gushing out between my legs!