what were your labour signs?

[jacky]

Hi all
This might sound like a silly question as I have actually had a baby before (8 years ago!!) but what were your signs of labour actually starting and how was it different from the general aches and pains we all seem to be having at this late stage?
My hubby is working quite far away this week and although I have been niggling on and off for a week or two and experiencing lots of braxton hicks I am a bit paranoid that I won't realise it's the real thing until it's too late for him to get back!! My first labour started with my waters going in the middle of the night and then it was a few hours beofre anything happened and people keep telling me that every birth is quite different!! Anyones experiences would be of interest!
Thanks
jac x

 

[Babylicious]

I had a show about 24 hours before labour kicked off, I went to bed and just couldn't get confortable, labour kicked off the next day

 

[Nicola]

I had to have my waters broken, baby just didn't want to come out for me!! Once they had broken the first sign I got that something was happening was really mild cramps, like period pain but not in my tummy if that makes sense....turned out to be mild contractions!! Things started to rapidly progress then!

 

[jacky]

It does make sense! I guess the thing I need to remember is that the niggles I'm having don't turn into anything more than niggles whereas my real contractions will get progressively stronger! I'm just being paranoid as hubby keeps having dreams that he missed the birth (although he looked positively green around the gills at times with baby 1 so don't know why he thinks it's such a bad thing!)
Thanks

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

Contractions....they got worse during the morning i have a consultants appointment about being induced i mention it to them and they did a internal and i was dilating

 

[Tangerinedream]

my waters started to go- not gushing but i had to put a new pad on every 30 mins, and they were tinged pink with blood. i also got mild crampy pains which eventually got worse

 

[mdsremos]

I was leaking water for a couple of days...kept thinking I was peeing myself....and rand the midwife who said to put on a clean pad and if it got soaked (did she really think I was going to wring it out to check ) to go in for a checkup.
Pad didnt seem to fill up and that evening started to get cramps like period pains which progressed........

 

[bowmanzoo]

Hi

all my three were different in their own little ways.

DS1 I woke up on the 28th dec 99 to really bad pains that were regular and breath taking so I went to the hospital and got examined, nurse told my hubby to go home and get my things as plenty of time b4 baby would be born but ds1 was born within half hr of hubby leaving us as he turned out to be an emergency section.

ds2 I had a show about 2 days before labour day and during the day I had contractions but very far apart and I was still able to walk about quite easily, by about 10pm that night they had become much stronger and well you just know its time to go to hospital or whatever.

dd1 I had no symptoms of oncoming labour and attendd a meeting that day and got home about 5pm and within half an hour my waters just went without any warnings apart from a twing of back pain during the meeting but I didnt for one minute think labour was about to appear that day. Anyway due to complications with ds1 and 2 hospital told me to go straight in although I wasnt having contractions so I did and they examined me still with no contractions and I was 10cm dilated.

so all pregnancies and babies are different but I think you'll know when the time is there.

 

[trixipaws]

friday june 8 - mild period-pain-type ache in the morning. by evening they were coming and going and less mild. (turned out this was effacing pain). also in afternoon noticed tiny bit of thick mucousy goo (sorry tmi!)

saturday june 9 - pains eased off during the day but returned in the evening. by midnight were too painful to sleep thru.

sunday june 10 - pains had become real contractions, had a show in the morning (urgh grrrrrrross!); i was sick at lunchtime, i had a baby at 4.45pm!

 

[leckershell]

thursday 9am - had sweep with midwife
thursday afternoon - had show and mild cramps that lasted about 10 minutes each and 5 mins apart.. pretty much constant cramps

slept thru thurs night

all through friday the cramps got progressively worse.

friday 3pm - internal examined by midwife who said i was 4cm dilated. i'd felt damp while waiting for her to see me, and turns out that was hind waters. i stood up after she'd examined me and felt damp again (no rush of water or anything) and turns out that was my front waters.

cramps got worse after that, obviously! and little one born at half 8 on that friday.

Pretty non-eventful I'm afraid!!
x

 

[maybebaby]

Midnight - waters starting trickling, followed (very) quickly by first contraction

2:36am - baby is born!!!

It went really quickly for me, after my first contraction there was no question that I was in labour.

 

[lotti77]

Had no symptoms as such No show No waters breaking No contractions

Did have aweful runs tho (tmi Soz)
Got to labour suite via wheel chair I had to Kneel on coz couldn't sit down
1 hour later my DS was born
Lucky me I suppose but being my first I was a little freaked out as it came so quickly!!
I just know this little girl is gona give me a whole different experience and probably be a nightmare

 

[bizzygirl101]

Hi

week before bump seriously dropped, but i didnt feel any different, wasnt walkng funny still!

Day before felt exhausted like i was walking thru treacle, i have a horse and had been doing him every day thu my pregnancy, but that day it was such a struggle, 2 people at the yard asked me f i was ok and said after i looked done in and it was only 10.30 am.

Woke up at 4.00 am with a horrible dull back ache, got up to go to the loo and my waters went, not a big gush but quite a bit. Back ache got worst, waters trickled all day went in to be examined 11.30 sent back home, getting mild periody type pains, started geting worst about 2.00 pm went into hosp at 8.30 pm in agony! Had bubba-beastie at 1.57 am! Want another one already!

 

[Redshoes]

I logged off here ready to go to bed and after using toilet I saw a gooey mess on the toilet paper, then felt trickly, then realised it was my waters, then contractions started a couple of hours later, and were still going 85hrs later ..I think what's most important to remember is that once you're in established labour, you will know as I'm sure you'll remember very best wishes

 

[babydust]

hi
I was induced with my first so didnt go into labour
my second wasnt what i was expecting i had the runs all day but didnt think anything of it about 10.30pm my belly started going tight but not painfull this happened on and off for about an hour then every 10 mins so i thought i better just go to hospital to get checked when i was there they put the belt thing on to see my contractions and said they were not real contractions if it didnt pick up in an hour i could just go home, i was told to walk about to see what happened after walking out of ward i had to go back as i needed a pee after i peed i started getting a bit of pain i tried to go on bed and my waters flooded out with the babies head, my poor dh didnt know what to do so he shouted for help my daughter was born 2 mins later. i had an epidural down in my birth plan to, after it i thought i had missed out cause i didnt get any drugs i was offered 2 paracetamol i was told later that my full bladder was the only thing keeping the baby in