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February 2013 Moms
Whats the norm?
There are a few things about labor and the time leading up to labor that I'm not certain about and it may seem silly that I'm completely oblivious about these things but they seem like legitimate questions in my head.
I know that every woman is different but as far as majority is concerned what's the norm for the bloody show and Is the bloody show the same as loosing your mucous plug?
Do most women have a recognizable bloody show when labor starts or is it something that only some experience?
Does LO always noticably drop right before birth? I've definitely noticed LO sitting lower than before but I've heard that right before labor starts you drop even more?
Lastly do contractions have to be exactly time table to be considered labor? Or can you have varying time between contrax such as 3 minutes apart then 4 minutes apart and alternating in a pattern like that for it to qualify a trip to labor and delivery?
I know that every woman is different but as far as majority is concerned what's the norm for the bloody show and Is the bloody show the same as loosing your mucous plug?
Do most women have a recognizable bloody show when labor starts or is it something that only some experience?
Does LO always noticably drop right before birth? I've definitely noticed LO sitting lower than before but I've heard that right before labor starts you drop even more?
Lastly do contractions have to be exactly time table to be considered labor? Or can you have varying time between contrax such as 3 minutes apart then 4 minutes apart and alternating in a pattern like that for it to qualify a trip to labor and delivery?
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Re: Whats the norm?
With real labor your contractions will be on time in a pattern they get stronger and last longer.
Also keep in mind you can lose your mucss plug weeks before actual labor
Bloody show...I never saw mine the first time and I induced the day before my due date.
This time around, I have seen it and I'm a lil over 35 weeks. However, it doesn't always come out all at once...for me it was just a twinge of blood...not much else...kinda like when you're getting ready to start your period.
My little girl carried extremely high then never dropped...again...I was induced.
My little boy that I'm carrying now hasn't dropped yet and probably won't because I am so small to start with and he is, well, ...super size...he has no room to go any where except out...
Contractions...if you're worried about them, call your doc. Quite frankly, I've always believed if it warrants bringing up here and you're worried about it...it warrants hearing an answer from your doctor...that's his job. Usually though, if they aren't consistant, they aren't the real thing...
I don't recall DD dropping noticeably right before labor. She did drop some around 38 weeks, but I didn't go into labor until 39w5d.
As for contractions I think the norm is that they generally follow a pattern, but it's possible for them to be more sporadic. I don't think a minute difference is really a big deal though. I mean, they could mostly be about 3 minutes apart and some only 2 apart with others 6 minutes apart. You'd still want to go in I think, especially if they are pretty intense or getting more intense all the time.
That said I'm not a great person to ask since my labor started with my water breaking and I had to go in pretty soon after due to being GBS. I'm also not sure exactly when I'd go in if labor doesn't start with my water breaking this time!
If I had any advice about the onset of labor for ftm's it would be that there is not a norm. Take any 5 of us second, third, etc time mom's and compare our labor stories and you would realize that to be true.
A lot of women on here will tell you not to go to the hospital because your contractions aren't meeting the standard 5-1-1 or that your water breaking happens a "certain way", but it's not always true for every woman and it's improtant to follow your instinct to an extent.
I never saw my bloody show, never saw my mucus plug, my water broke and I wasn't even sure that's what it was until L&D confirmed it about 6 hours later. Not everythign will be "by the book" and it's ok to adopt the policy better safe than sorry....L&D is there for a reason.