Almost there...

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Almost there...

Determining real labor from false labor

Contractions in true labor:

• Increase in frequency and intensity over time
• Persist despite movement and/or change of position
• Generally begin in the back and move to the front

Contractions in false labor:

• Occur at irregular intervals and may wax and wane in intensity
• Decrease with walking or movement; they do not become stronger or more frequent
• May ease with change of position
• No increase in frequency or intensity of contractions
• Discomfort located in the front only

Keeping tab of signs that labor is near

(Source: 8 Signs That Labor is Near)

Dropping

• Also known as "lightening" (baby's head settling into the pelvis) or "engagement" (baby's head engages the pelvic opening).
• Breasts probably no longer touch the top of your abdomen.
• Able to sense baby's head resting just beneath the middle of your pelvic bone.
• My experience: I feel soreness in my pelvic area during late 36 weeks. This soreness becomes more and more intense in 38 weeks.

Frequent urination

• My experience: I have to pee every two hours between 12am until the time I wake up in the morning.

Low backache

• As baby gets heavier and drops lower, count on some aches or pains in your lower back and pelvis as your uterine and pelvic ligaments are stretched even more.
• My experience: I don't have much backache but the discomfort in my pelvic area can be quite unbearable at times.

Stronger Braxton-Hicks contractions

• Known as warm-up (pre-labor) contractions that feel like menstrual cramps.
• Start the work of thinning out the cervix from a thick-walled cone to a thin-walled cup.
• Get stronger prior to labor for a week or two before labor starts.
• My experience: Yes, these warm-up contractions do get quite strong as time passes.

Diarrhea

• Loose, frequent bowel movements is nature's enema to empty your intestines to make more room for baby's passage
• My experience: Not yet.

Increased vaginal discharge

• You may notice more egg white or pink-tinged vaginal discharge. This differs from the "bloody show".
• My experience: Yup.

Bloody show

• This happens when the mucus plug that previously sealed the cervix is released.
• The consistency of this mucus varies from stringy to thick and gooey. Some women notice the one-time passing of an obvious mucus plug; others simply notice increased blood-tinged vaginal discharge.
• Some of the tiny blood vessels in your cervix break as your cervix thins, so you may see anything from a pink to a brownish-red-tinged teaspoonful of bloody mucous.
• Once you notice a bloody show, you are likely to begin labor within three days, but some mothers hang on for another week or two.
• My experience: Okay.

Bag of waters breaking

• Only 1 in 10 mothers experience their bag of waters breaking prior to labor.
• For most mothers this doesn't happen until they are well into labor.
• If your water breaks before labor has started, plan on your labor starting intensely within the next few minutes or hours, or at least within the next day.
• My experience: Okay, let's see if I get this.

Exciting times!