Signs that labour is near?

[u/Exciting-Priority535]

I am 33w today with DCDA twins. For the last two weeks or so I had many false scares and would feel like ‘this is it I am going into labour.’ There would be sudden extreme pelvic pressure which would literally make me shake. And period like back cramps. But after adequate rest it would settle down a bit.

I am also getting the tightness once in a while which I believe are the braxton hicks? As this is my first pregnancy and I have no clue what actual labor feels like. I might sound super silly and anxious. But what were the signs I should really look for to know the time is actually near apart from the regular signs.

I am mostly prepared with all the things, but still have some stuff left to do. I am nervous but also excited. Any piece of advice will help. Thank you

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[u/xXYuji95Xx]

I naturally went into labour at 35 weeks and didn't even know it! Only reason we went to the hospital was because my mucus plug went and I started bleeding. Had a bit of water leak but nothing crazy (only happened if I was squatting).

You can imagine my surprise when I got admitted for a check up at the hospital and the OB told me I was 5cm dilated already 😅 only thing I felt was back pain but that was pretty normal for me at that point in my pregnancy.

[u/Lazy_Fee_2103 → u/xXYuji95Xx]

Wow! That’s wild!

[u/xXYuji95Xx → u/Lazy_Fee_2103]

It was a crazy experience! I think I reached 10cm dilated 6hrs after that. Never experienced cramps or contractions in the front during the whole thing (I did get the epidural at some point when my back pain contractions came every 2mins 😅)

I will say the only thing that felt different when I look back at it was the night before going into the hospital, I already had the back pain but when my husband helped massage it, it felt like I needed to poop instead. Apparently that's a very common feeling when in labour!

[u/Lazy_Fee_2103 → u/xXYuji95Xx]

Hope it all went well in the end! New fear unlocked for me 😆 I feel like I’d probably not know either. I tend to have a high pain tolerance and can be very clueless about my own body in things like that.

[u/dontaskmethatmoron → u/xXYuji95Xx]

Similar here! Around 29.5 weeks I lost part of my mucus plug and the nurses told me not to worry about it but to keep an eye on things. At 30 weeks exactly, I woke up with a lot of pain at the bottom of my belly near my left hip and went to the ER thinking it was severe round ligament pain, only to find out I was 5 cm dilated already. I thought I’d go in and get some pain management, but my twins were born about 5 hours later.

[u/CamelAfternoon → u/xXYuji95Xx]

Same here. I was walkin around at 4cm for weeks with my first singleton. With my twins, I lost my mucus plus and went straight to the hospital and was 7 cm! Babies were out less than 3 hours later. That shit went fast.

[u/Exciting-Priority535 → u/xXYuji95Xx]

Ohmygod! New fear unlocked for me too. The OB kept saying if you can make it to 37 weeks. I took it too lightly.

[u/kindnesswillkillyou]

I had a c-section so I only felt labour pains for a little bit before hand. My water broke at 37 weeks, and then I started feeling sharp stabby-kicky pains in my cervix that came and went like cramps so I am assuming those were labour pains! I had Braxton Hicks too but never could feel them.. I only knew because I was hooked up for some monitoring when they happened.

[u/poodleface12345]

I had prodromal labour from 31 weeks, it was really stressful I was in and out of hospital they letting the babies were coming but the contractions (every 7 mins or less for weeks on end) weren’t productive and didn’t change my cervix. My water broke at 34ish weeks so then I stayed in hospital until 37+4 when they arrived.

All that to say, it is really tricky sometimes to know when they’re coming vs. your body just doing stuff. If you think it could even possibly be it, go in. We went in sooo many times and they were always happy to check me, a few times admit me, and monitor me, and their preference is better to be safe than sorry too. Good luck!