The Early Labor Signs You Need to Know

Recognizing the signs of early labor can help ensure you don’t mistake false or pre-labor with true early labor!

And remember, you may not experience all of these possible early signs and everyone is different! Some mothers experience their water breaking as their first sign and this is normal too!

Signs Labor is Near:

Common signs that labor is near include:

1. “Nesting Urge”

Nesting is a sudden urge to clean, organize, and prepare for your baby’s arrival!

Think of this extra energy as a sign that you’ll have the strength to handle childbirth, but try to avoid overdoing it!

2. Restless Back Ache

This nagging back pain may also be accompanied by a feeling of uneasiness or restlessness. You may feel unable to be comfortable in any position for long and it may resemble the back pain you feel before your period begins.

Restless backache can occur on and off for days so if this is the only symptom you have, don’t get too excited yet! Remember, the more relaxed you are, the more likely baby will easily come when he or she is meant to.

3. Diarrhea

About 1-2 days before the childbirth process begins, hormone-like substances called prostaglandins start softening your cervix to help it dilate. However, these hormones also can cause diarrhea. This may occur because when your bowels are emptied, your uterus can contract more efficiently, plus, make room for your baby as he or she descends.

4. Bloody Show

During pregnancy there’s a sticky plug of mucus that seals your cervix to keep bacteria from coming in. Once your cervix starts dilating, this plug will begin to disintegrate. Therefore, if you see thick, blood-tinged discharge this may be your mucus plug and labor may occur in a few days!

Lastly, although it’s referred to as “bloody show”, its color isn’t bright red, if you see bright red blood make sure to call your OB or midwife immediately.

5. Loose Joints

The hormone ‘relaxin’ increases as your pregnancy approach labor to help your pelvic ligaments become more flexible, allowing your pelvis to become wider than ever before for childbirth! This may make you clumsier than usual or make it more difficult to squat down and back up.

I’ll never forget almost getting stuck when I squatted down in Target at 39 weeks pregnant to get something on the bottom shelf!

6. The Lightening

This is the term used for when your baby drops further into your pelvis. This movement makes more room for your diaphragm for easier breathing, however, there’s likely more pressure on your bladder making you feel like you need to pee more frequently. Still, you may not experience this sign of early labor approaching soon.

Signs That You’re Definitely in Labor

These two signs of labor show it’s officially early labor time and not just your body practicing and preparing anymore!

1. Your Water Breaks

This can be a trickle or a gush of water from the amniotic sac surrounding your baby breaking. Most women will experience their water breaking after labor has started, however, for 15% of women this is their first sign of labor beginning!

Be conscious of the time when your water breaks. Some hospital protocols in the U.S. are still under the impression that a mother only has 24 hours to give birth to her baby after the water breaks because of the fear of infection. But where did this idea come from?

The concept of the 24-hour clock actually started in the 1950s and 1960s. At this time, babies were more likely to die the longer their mother’s water was broken. [2, 3, 4, 5].

One study found that as many as 50% of babies were stillborn or died after birth if their mothers developed a fever or had other signs of infection with PROM (premature rupture of membranes) [2]. PROM is defined as a mother’s water breaking before already being in labor. However, women were cared for differently in the 1950s and 1960s than they are today.

What Does the New Research Say?

Our new and better-quality research shows that with proper care, waiting for up to 48-72 hours after the water breaks does not increase the risk of infection or death to babies of healthy and normal pregnancies. Still, waiting means that the mother may have a higher chance of experiencing infection themselves [6, 7]. However, keep in mind that statistically, 95% of labors begin on their own within 24 hours of the water breaking [8].

The infection is called chorioamnionitis which can lead to you having a fever and your baby’s heart rate may become high. If this occurs you will receive antibiotics and they bring down your temperature. Chorioamnionitis is not an indication for a cesarean birth alone, there would have to be something else going on to make a cesarean necessary.

Still, the “24-hour clock” rule is no longer valid today.

2. True Labor Contractions

Check out the comparison below to see what true labor contractions are like compared to false labor!

What is False Labor and Practice Contractions?

False labor is practice for your body and is not true labor.

True Labor vs False Labor Contractions

The distinguishing factor of pre-labor contractions is that they’re non-progressing meaning that they change very little in frequency, length, and intensity over time. Some women barely notice these contractions while others use distraction, slow breathing, tension release, and other comfort techniques to get through them.

What Are Braxton Hicks Contractions?

Braxton Hicks contractions are practice contractions that help prepare your body for childbirth. These contractions:

• Don’t follow a pattern
• Are relieved with hydration and rest
• Can begin earlier in pregnancy
• Not intense or painful

What might be causing your Braxton Hicks contractions?

1. Dehydration – You should consume 80-120 ounces of water while pregnant or breastfeeding. Always have a drink on hand!
2. Lack of sleep – Your uterus is a muscle, so it may get tired if you aren’t well-rested! When it gets tired, it can start contracting (but not in a way where you’ll go into labor).
3. Overdoing it in late pregnancy – Similarly to a lack of sleep, if you aren’t slowing down and listening to your body, your uterus may start to contract. Start slowing your pace for this season of life, mama.
4. Effacement of your cervix – Effacement means cervical thinning, softening, and shortening. And we measure effacement on a scale of 0-100%. This is the work your body is doing in preparation for labor, also known as “silent labor.” A very important part of the process leading to cervical dilation!
5. Your baby moving positions – Large movements from your baby getting into position for labor to begin may cause some contractions.

To learn when you should go into the hospital or birthing center and some activities to do during early labor, check out, Laboring at Home- How to Avoid Going in Too Early!

Early Labor or an Irritable Uterus?

Uterine irritability is like Braxton-Hicks, but the contractions can be stronger and occur more frequently. However, there aren’t currently many studies on this topic, but there are many women who deal with these contractions.

Furthermore, what causes uterine irritability isn’t clear either; and the cause may not be the same for all women.

Uterine irritability can be caused by dehydration, stress, or an untreated infection like a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Communicate with your midwife or OB if you think you may be experiencing this for their expertise on what may help.

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DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding you or your baby’s health. Please read my Medical Disclaimer for more info

Sources

[1] Evidence on: Premature Rupture of Membranes

[2] LANIER LR Jr, SCARBROUGH RW Jr, FILLINGIM DW, BAKER RE Jr. INCIDENCE OF MATERNAL AND FETAL COMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH RUPTURE OF THE MEMBRANES BEFORE ONSET OF LABOR. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1965 Oct 1;93:398-404. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(65)90068-2. PMID: 14337377.

[3] CALKINS LA. Premature spontaneous rupture of the membranes. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1952 Oct;64(4):871-7. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9378(16)38801-9. PMID: 12985722.

[4] TAYLOR ES, MORGAN RL, BRUNS PD, DROSE VE. Spontaneous premature rupture of the fetal membranes. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1961 Dec;82:1341-8. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9378(16)36262-7. PMID: 13919942.

[5] BURCHELL RC. PREMATURE SPONTANEOUS RUPTURE OF THE MEMBRANES. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1964 Jan 15;88:251-5. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(64)90265-0. PMID: 14104791.

[6] Induction of Labor Compared with Expectant Management for Pre-labor Rupture of the Membranes at Term

[7] Pintucci A, Meregalli V, Colombo P, Fiorilli A. Premature rupture of membranes at term in low risk women: how long should we wait in the “latent phase”? J Perinat Med. 2014 Mar;42(2):189-96. doi: 10.1515/jpm-2013-0017. PMID: 24259235.

[8] Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth