How do you know your in labour?

[Pompey_Princess]

i was 7 days over when it first started, just a back ache, and period type pains that just kept getting worse and more regular. good luck

 

[Redshoes]

My fore waters have always broke before contractions have started so I've known straight away both times really, but its quite rare you don't notice your contractions once you're having them regular and for a length of time, and whether or not they feel intense or not, and when, varies greatly between women and labours so that's not necessarily a indicator of how far dilated you are either

 

[trixipaws]

at the time i wouldve said- u dont know!

i went from *thinking* i was in labour when i wasnt to being in full-blown labour and being in denial about it

during the early hours of the day before i gave birth i'd been having "waves" of mild pain- not even pain really just discomfort- but i was so psyched up in my head i was thinking this must be it (and was thinking "oh this isnt that bad after all!" lol) i called the MWs to my house only to be examined and told i wasnt dilated yet and the "contractions" were "effacing pains".

so, after feeling a bit silly and embarrassed about that- the next day when i was getting full-on contractions, i was worried i was just being silly again and so pretended i was fine- i washed my hair, straightened it and put on my make-up- looking back it was ridiculous lol i kept pausing every few minutes to gasp and writhe around the room and yet i still told myself it wasnt proper labour! its a wonder i didnt set fire to the house i kept putting my ghd's down just anywhere!

i was tryna ignore the contractions for as long as i could, "in case theyre not really contractions again like the day before"- but there was one point i remember i'd only just had one and it really hurt loads and i started getting another one almost straight away and i was lay on one couch while my boyf was eating his lunch on the other one- i remember suddenly feeling very frightened at how close the contractions were together and how intense they were- and i couldnt speak thru them i suddenly realised "right theres no doubt about it this is definately it" but i panicked that the MWs werent here yet i was worried i'd hung on too long! after that wave had fallen enough to speak i told my boyf to please call the hosp and hurry i want the MWs HERE NOW!! that was the defining point when i knew i was. i was 5cm dilated when examined so for a first-timer i think i did leave it a bit late. but thats only coz i'd just done a false-alarm and didnt wanna look silly!

i had no waters breaking moment

 

[IsaB]

Although I'd been having quite strong and reasonably regular BH's for a good couple of weeks I also kind of 'knew' what I was feeling was labour - but, I think unless your waters break you probably question it anyway - for one thing I thought that that in 'real labour' you felt the contractions starting from your back (I didn't get that at all) - the difference for me was that BH contractions felt sort of high-middle of my bump and the real thing was really low in my pelvis - they did feel different, and also they were very regular in intensity and duration, and just started getting closer together as time went on. Also I felt a lot of pressure down there - constantly feeling like I needed to go to the loo. My waters didn't break until the MW was having a good poke around well into established labour (that was the best feeling EVER! - the waters going that is, not the poke around...)

 

[caz86]

It sounds stupid but I didn't know I was in 'proper' labour until I was being rushed to the delivery suite at 10cm and pushing!

That's not to say that I hadn't been feeling contractions or been in pain- I had- I just got fixated on the fact that my waters hadn't broken and that I'd not had much of a show so I must just be experienceing very strong warm up contractions!

Looking back, my labour started with discomfort at the base of my back which came and went even though I hadn't changed position. That was about 5pm. I was up and walking around until well after 8pm just stopping every now and again to let a contraction pass (It sounds rediculous that I didn't think this was labour! What an idiot!) By about half eight I was struggling to focus on anyone else as I had to stop to concentrate on breathing through a contraction- not massively painful at this point but I did want space to myself. For the next 2 hours the pains increased and I was having to moan to get through the pain. Pressure was the next thing I felt and the urge to push- my waters still hadn't gone!

I guess what I'm trying to say in my very long-winded way is that labour feels different for everyone and the sequence of events can be different- the one uniting factor is the regularity of the contractions and the inability to talk through them. Good luck for whrn it;s your turn sweetie!

i was the same i had bad pains for 3 weeks so when i was actually in labour i thought nothing of it my step mam had to convince me i was in labour and needed to go to hospital quick i was only in 5 mins and my waters were broken then 5 mins and 4 pushes later little one came...... so when u get pain u think may be time them and 2 mins apart go go go dnt do what i done lol nearly gave birth in my friends car