For those that went into labor...

lucynryan

Question for those of you who went into labor on your own (ie. not induced)...  What "signs" did you have leading up to it?  Anything funky going on with your body that you thought was a red flag?  Also, when you started having contractions, were they like your braxton hicks contractions, or different?

 I'm sure this has been asked a million times (though I can't find anything on the search engine on here for some reason) - but I'm at that point in pregnancy that I'm over analysing every little thing that might be a "sign" that it's time

KMB7

I was having real contractions for a week prior to delivery. The 48hrs before I delivered I was having strong contractions but then they would back off. 

I think my only real clue was that I was in the bathroom all day (and not to pee), sorry I know that is TMI. That night/morning at 3:45 am, I woke up to pee and my water broke. 37w6d 

MommyNoelle

I felt totally normal until a few hours before my water broke. I just felt "different". I'm not sure how to explain it; I did feel like I had to throw up but couldn't and was running a slight fever, but nothing that really stood out to me.

I hope you don't need to worry about these signs! Good luck!  

Desired11

I also felt like I needed to go to the restroom, but nothing happend (TMI..Sorry)...It's really true that you feel like this!!  I also lost my mucus plug a day or two before the real contractions.  You will know what it is when you lose it...if you lose it!  I also was not hungry at all and could not look at food!  GOOD LUCK!!

katsblaze

My water broke, and I didn't start getting contractions until about an hour after I was admitted. There were no signs for me. I delivered at 36 w 3d.

busybea

I also started contracting a week before, here and there.  It wasn't until about 48hrs before I gave birth that my contrax were stronger (about 10 minutes apart) and running from back to front and then back again.  I was also completely exhausted the day before.  My water never broke.  You'll know when it's time, trust me.  Good luck!  )

jennie13

I went into labor with my singleton.   I was only 1 cm at my 38 week appt, and had no BH contractions at all.   One morning, at 39 weeks, I woke up to a trickle which I thought might be my water breaking, but it wasn't.  I had a tiny amount of spotting, and I also "cleaned out" after being constipated my entire pregnancy.   Within hours regular contractions started and I was sure things were happening.   24 hours later, I met my baby. 

regenab

I had been having NST scans for about 2 weeks prior to delivery and every time I was there they would see contractions but I didn't feel anything. So I bascially felt nothing. I had my last MFM appt. that morning and went home from the hospital (I was at a military hospital and that is where my OB care and MFM were located). My DH went to the gym, I sat on the couch to catch up on the DVR for a while, got up went to the bathroom and there was a pop and huge (I mean huge) gush. I didn't leave for the hospital for another 3 hours because I was having like zero contractions and it was rush hour in DC, the beltway is brutal at that time of day.

Hoping you will have more signs than I did, if my water did not break, I probably would not have known I was in labor until I was like 5cm dialated. I didn't get my epi until I was 6cm, because I had no pain with contractions up until that point. Once I hit 5cm, then I started feeling things and they started coming a lot faster, and that was like the next morning from when my water broke.

bearfootz

I was pretty sure that I lost my mucus plug because I saw a gob of goo when I wiped...sorry, there's no delicate way to describe it. I called the dr's office and they said if I leaked fluid to come in, otherwise to come in the next day for my regularly scheduled non-stress-test at the specialist's. (that's my one regret that I didn't insist on being seen since I figured something was up).  I went in the next morning for the nst and they said everything was normal.  Still couldn't shake the feeling that something was up so I packed a bag. That night I got out of bed to use the bathroom and as I was about to climb back into bed my water broke.

I never even had a cramp until we were on our way to the hospital.

missfire

With my singleton, I woke up one day and was so exhausted and almost flu-like that I went back to bed for a few hours. Later, I had menstrual-like cramps, but they were so light that when I tried to time them, they seemed erratic. I tried to go to bed that night, but they turned into "real" contractions that kept me from sleeping.

browneyedgrl4282

As my father put it, that day i was a real b#$ch!!! I just wasn't having it anymore I was miserable! I had my preadmission testing that day and I begged them to let me stay! nope they say see you on monday! Sure enough that night my waterbroke! I really didnt have much of contractions after that but the monitors showed regular ones and very close together. I think i miay not have felt them because I was stretches out! My big old pregnant belly at 36 weeks measured as if i was 63 weeks along!

angiek

I felt totally normal until my water broke - well, actually it didn't all-out break, but more so trickled.  My conractions started and were fairly strong within an hour of my water breaking.  My boys were born at 35w6d.

Young100904

I had no signs until I started having contractions. I was scheduled for a csection at 37 weeks and went into labor at 36 wk 3 days. I was sure they were going to send me home, but I was in labor!