The event you’ve been happily and nervously waiting for is almost here: Your baby’s birth!
For most pregnant women, the experience of going into labor isn’t nearly as dramatic as portrayed in the movies or on screen. In fact, the signs of impending labor tend to be subtle and even confusing, particularly for first-time moms-to-be.
The experience of giving birth can differ from one woman to another, and even for the same woman from one pregnancy to the next.
Here are some signs of labor that you might experience in the lead up to your baby’s arrival.
You have backache:
This one is tricky because it’s possible your back has been achy ever since your belly got big enough to make sitting, sleeping, standing, and walking uncomfortable. But back pain that seems to come and go may be a sign that labor is near. You may be experiencing back labor, in which contractions are more focused in your lower back than in your abdomen because of the position of your baby.
Your baby drops
Anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks before labor begins in first-time pregnancies, a woman may look and feel as though the baby has dropped into a lower position in her pelvis. Known as “lightening,” this means the baby is getting into a head-down position in preparation for birth. (In women who have previously given birth, lightening may not occur until right before labor begins.
Strong and regular contractions
A woman’s uterus contracts her entire pregnancy. “It’s a muscle, and it has to practice for this Olympic event that is going to happen,” she explained in describing how the uterus prepares itself for labor.
Near the end of pregnancy, uterine contractions start to move the baby down into a lower position in the birth canal, and ultimately having contractions will help to push the baby out into the world.
You develop Diarrhea
Is it the spicy Mexican food you ate last night? Or a signal that your baby is on the way? Loose stools or diarrhea can be a sign of impending labor caused by the release of hormones. Having the runs a day or two before labor starts also is the body’s way of emptying the bowels to allow the uterus to contract efficiently.
Your water breaks
While movies would have you think you’ll learn you’re in labor only when your water breaks (of course in the middle of a romantic dinner date at a busy restaurant), that’s a very unlikely scenario. It’s actually one of the final signs of labor most women experience — and it happens in only around 15 percent of births or fewer. So don’t count on it as your only labor sign!
Still feel like you won’t know when to announce “It’s time!” and get ready to meet your baby? Try not to stress about it. You’ll be seeing your doctor or midwife frequently now, and she’ll help you spot all the important clues.
Bloody vaginal discharge
As labor begins, or several days before it does, a woman may notice an increase in vaginal discharge that’s pink, brown or slightly bloody. Called a “bloody show,” this discharge is caused by the release of a mucous plug that blocks the cervix (the opening to the uterus) during pregnancy. The mucous plug loosens up as the cervix begins to dilate, or open up, during the first stage of labor.
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