Early Signs of Labour

At the end of my first pregnancy with Nahla, I remember laying in bed googling if being tired was a sign of labour. Looking back, it was probably more a sign that I should be sleeping instead of searching the internet all through the night for early signs of labour. To save you the same stress and make sure you're sleeping instead of googling the night away, I've checked the research and created this blog post for you to refer back to when you're unsure.

Early labour is referred to as the 'latent-phase of labour'. It's that time when your cervix is roughly less than 4cm, and your contractions are still irregular. For most mamas, it will always happen before active labour. The latent phase is a time when you should make sure you're ready to go [pack the hospital bag and petrol in the car if not already done], rest, eat, stay hydrated and try to relax. It often comes with typical 'signs', which can indicate that labour is approaching, which you can check out below.

Signs you might be in early labour or that labour is approaching soon:

Losing your mucous plug

One of the first signs of early labour can be losing your mucous plug. The mucous plug is a sticky, jelly-like mucous, which is usually yellow or brown but can also be blood-streaked. It can come out all in one, or small amounts. It doesn't always mean that you're going to go into labour as you can actually lose it weeks before labour begins. On the other hand, some mamas report losing their mucous plug days, or even hours before labour begins. You can also lose your mucous plug many times as it can regenerate. In the hospital, you might hear doctors or midwives refer to this as a 'show'. If you lose your mucous plug before 37 weeks, give your health providers a call because it may indicate changes in the cervix.

Lower back pain

Lower back pain is a common complaint of mamas in early labour. Sometimes it can be contractions, or bubs position putting pressure on mamas back. For other mamas, back pain can signal their belly babe moving down. Some research also tells us that mamas who have back pain during their period are more likely to have back pain during labour. If your back pain is accompanied by any bleeding or a hard tummy that doesn't soften, call your birthing team.

Period pains that come and go

For some mamas, mild contractions feel like period pain. Take notice of these cramps; are they getting stronger? Are they lasting longer? Are they getting closer together? Can you feel your whole bump go hard with them? Do they stop when you change position or do something different? Are you constipated? Do you have gas? Does paracetamol help? Are they coming with Braxton Hicks?

Your cervix is opening, softening and thinning out

During pregnancy, some mamas will require speculum assessments; for example, if a mama thinks she is in preterm labour. A doctor or midwife will be able to see if the cervix is open or shortening, which can indicate labour may be near. Also at an ultrasound, a mama might be told her cervix is 'funnelling'. This means that it's opening on the inside, which if preterm, needs obstetric management. Once a low-risk mama is at least full-term, they may be offered a vaginal assessment before booking an induction, or a stretch and sweep. During this assessment, your health provider will assess many aspects of your cervix. These include position [does the opening face the front, middle or back], consistency [soft, medium or hard], dilation [how open it is from closed-10], effacement [how long it is from 0-4cm] and how low your bub's head is [from -3 to +2]. You'll then receive a 'Bishop's score'. As your score gets higher, your cervix is becoming more favourable, and you're moving closer and closer to labour.

Your waters break

Your waters could break in a big gush, or you might have a constant trickle. Some mamas will feel constantly wet. These are all hints that you might have broken your waters. And yes, it can happen before any other signs of labour. Around 1 in 12 pregnant mamas will experience their waters breaking before labour begins. Approximately 70% of pregnant mamas whose waters break before labour goes into spontaneous labour within 24 hours of their waters breaking. The liquor [waters] should be clear or pink. If it's green, yellow, brown, bloody, smells unpleasant, you are group B strep positive or you have been instructed to, contact your birthing team straight away.

You have loose bowel motions [not caused by food poisoning or gastro]

As your labour begins, your hormones, particularly prostaglandins, might cause diarrhoea. The diarrhoea may also be caused by bub's head moving down in the pelvis. Some people say that it's natures way of emptying the bowel to make sure your baby has enough room to come through the birth canal. Either way, it can be unpleasant. Keep your fluids up, and call your pregnancy team if you become dehydrated.

In my thorough research, there were also a few anecdotal early signs of labour. These are signs based on common personal experiences rather than studies or research.

Your bump drops

Many mamas say they were told their bump appears to look lower or 'drop' right before labour. This could be because of bub moving down into the pelvis.

Increased pressure down below

Lots of mamas report feeling heavy or having increased pressure in their vaginal or rectal area shortly before labour. Some mamas will experience 'lightening crutch', which feels like a shooting pain in the vagina. All of this is from your little person moving down towards the exit.

You can breathe easier but have to pee more often

This is another anecdotal sign related to bub moving down into the pelvis, which will make more room around your diaphragm and lungs, but leave less room around your bladder.

Nesting

We've all heard this wives tale. Some say it's a mamas instinct to get everything done before the new arrival.

A big burst of energy

Like above, this wives tale says it's to make sure everything is ready to go.

Fatigue

Some say it's your bodies way of telling you to slow down and rest to conserve energy before labour.

One myth I've heard that I want to bust right now is that a baby's movements will slow down towards the end of pregnancy, or leading up to labour. Some say that bub is running out of room, while others say it's to save energy before birth. Let's put a stop to this right now. This myth is entirely FALSE!! If there is any change in your bub's movements, whether that be an increase or decrease, or change in strength or frequency, please contact your health provider immediately. Don't wait. Your baby's movements are the best indication that they are okay.

I know it can be tough waiting to meet this little person. You've waited nine whole months, and don't want to wait one minute more. I've been there. My best piece of advice is to take each day as it comes. While you should keep an eye out for early signs of labour, being stressed over whether that twinge was a mild contraction or not will only make it harder for you. Relax mama, and enjoy the process. Before you know it, it's baby day, and you'll find yourself gazing into the eyes of the love of your life. And when you do, I can't wait to hear all about it.