Obviously, short of being induced or having a scheduled C-Section, this is the type of thing that happens when it happens. That being said, do any lady dopers who’ve had babies (or partners of lady dopers who’ve had babies) have any little things to look for to indicate that labour is coming soon?
For me, the current things that I think Junior may arrive a bit earlier than anticipated are:
My belly has dropped.
I get cramping 4 or 5 times a day (yes, my Dr. knows about this and indicates that my uterus is ‘practicing’)
My boobs are, ahem, leaking.
I’m currently 36 weeks and 3 days along, so in 4 days I will be full term, if that makes a difference.
Also, if you had all of the things I listed above and went on to be induced 8 weeks after they started - well, share that too.
I’m sort of wondering if I need to ramp up the nursery decorating activities.
Nah - no fast answer needed. The car is ready with baby seat and stroller (also, full of gas), the bag is packed, the basinet is ready to go. If something dramatic happens hubby and I can get to the hospital with no problems.
When I was in labor with my first, I felt like I had a really bad case of diahrrea (mostly cramps in my back), but when I went to the bathroom, nothing came out. Over time, what I had thought were stomach-bug-related cramps got strangely rhythmic. Also, he was pressing down on my cervix hard. Really hard. Not like the occasional knock or head bob or even just resting there. I mean, like he was trying to push his way out for about two weeks beforehand. The weekend before my son was born, it was so bad one day I could hardly get out of the car because I was certain if I started walking, my water would break.
When I was in labor with my second, I thought I was having pain from working out. I had had back labor with my first, but the second time around, it was my ass and hips that hurt, not my back and stomach. So I just thought I’d worked out too hard. So I put my feet up and it went away for a while. Then it came back, so I decided I must need sleep. But the pain didn’t go away when I laid down and I realized suddenly at 11:43 p.m. that there was a pattern to the waves of pain. #2 was much more bearable than #1 - by the time I got to the hospital, I was already 7 centimeters dilated.
Those were really the primary signals for me. Both labors were incredibly different, amazingly so.
Edited to answer your questions about what you noted - didn’t have leaky boobs, but did have the first two. I think the practice contractions were noticeable for about 1-2 months before labor and my stomach dropped about 2 months before delivery, but I tend to carry low anyway.
My experience with many friends and family is that your symptoms are pretty normal for the last few weeks prior to giving birth, but it’s not necessarily a sign that labor is imminent.
I say that b/c I’m in almost this exact situation, and it makes me feel better.
Now, for some actual information, I have read in several places that most first time mothers drop 2 weeks or less before they give birth. Some go longer than that of course, but that seems to be the average.
Mucus plus, for sure. But, it can take quite a while for it all to come off.
Keep an eye on your nose - For some reason, in my family and friends, when we’re ready, our nostrils spread out. It gets very wide, and if you’re at term, but no nose spread, you’re not going into labor. It seems to start within 24-48 hours of labor.
As with Ellen Cherry, I lost my mucus plugs just a day or two before I went into labor with both, though with the second, the Dr had stripped my membranes on my due date. Both babies dropped more than week before (and first babies supposedly drop up to two or three weeks before hand).
I think labor is one of those situations that is so individual there is no way to predict what you will do by anyone else’s experience. My mom had me (her only) in 4 hours and has always said labor pains were “noticable but not uncomfortable” whereas I had 21 hour labor the first and 8 hour the second and begged for all the drugs I was entitled to. I know women who had high and tight cervix just a day or two before birth, and others who walked around at 3 cm for weeks.
Here’s hoping for an easy, healthy birth for you both!
I have very little knowledge about birth in humans. But when I was reading up about horse labor & delivery, apparently when the pH factor in the milk drops suddenly, the horse usually delivers within 24 hours. People buy the pool testing chem strips to test.
I had diarrhea about 8 hours before labour started with my daughter, and about 6 hours before with my son.
That was the only clue for me - both kids turned up early. (10 days with the girl, two full weeks with the boy)
Well, my belly dropped around the same time as you, but I didn’t have the other two signs before I went into labour.
I then waited until I was 41+3 before I had any more signs. Yes, that’s right. Another 5 weeks from where you are now. 5 weeks. Sorry.
The next sign I had was a few period like back cramps. These came about a day before I was booked in for an induction. Nothing much happened before I went in for my induction, but when I did go in, boy, did things happen quickly. I guess he was ready. Back labour, back labour, back labour, whoomf, baby.
So, you could be having signs, or you could be just warming up. No way to tell, although I can appreciate you want to know which it is.
Good luck either way. I have to say, though, for all that I read about people hating being overdue, I found it strangely relaxing. I wasn’t uncomfortable, and since I was in no way ready to be a mother, I appreciated the extra time to prepare. YMMWildlyV on that, though.
You’re doing a good job fighting ignorance - I thought that was something that got expelled when your water broke. So…it just comes out on its own? eww.
