[ResultsNotTypica...]

I felt really really uncomfortable, but more like needing to poo...which I did, finally, but only when pushing some hours later. It took about two hours for me to work out it might be labour and only because i noticed some blood.

This about sums it up for me. I thought I was badly constipated an after about 5 hours of discomfort we decided to head up to the hospital to see if there was anything I could do. I was so sure it wasn't labour that I didn't even take my hospital bag.

About 9 hours later we had a baby!!

The "you'll know" advice aint always necessarily so.

[emiboo]

The "you'll know" advice aint always necessarily so.

I also felt like I needed to poo really bad but nothing ever came out when I pushed on the toilet, not even a fart. It was very frustrating. My next-door neighbour came over and even told me I was in labour and that I would need to go to hospital that night but I didn't believe her and just thought, "Surely it must hurt more than this...?" Timing contractions also drove me crazy - they were at least six minutes apart for over a day and did not seem to be getting any closer. Eventually I decided to go to the hospital because I couldn't sleep through the pain anymore. By the time I got there I was over five centimetres dilated. (Edited to add that my son came out four hours later.)

This post has been edited by emiboo: 16/08/2011, 09:11 PM

[Rosepickles]

yep, I actually had terrible period like pain a for two days about a week before I had DD. then on the morning I had her, I knew it had started as my waters broke first, then i got a dull period type feeling, which got gradually worse over half an hour then turned into contractions.

best of luck!

[doctorseuss]

It was no different to the BH I'd been having for months! No plugor waters breaking here either....after 1 hour with DD1 and 30 minutes with DD2 it became obvious that these were regular PAINFUL contractions, and labor was on. We got up, started timing, rang the hospital, went in and the rest....well you know how it goes from then.

[red door]

well i still have cramping today, it was worse this morning, i had a couple of strong BH but its settling down again to what it has been the last 24 hrs.
So i guess its just my body getting ready or somthing.

yep, sounds like it!! yay.

for the one birth I had that wasn't obvious (the others started with waters breaking)..I had a day of uncomfortableness, and a few real pains when walking around, but none that made me think labour...then woke in early morning still just feeling like it was braxton hicks...they weren't getting worse or regular...I kept going back to sleep and then the cramping was waking me...but I still wasn't sure. It was only after talking to my step mum on the phone that she said "heh, I actually think you need to call your mum to come and look after the kids now, you have been cramping for hours". it had been so mild that I hadn't really believed I wa sin labour.

Well, lucky I did. She was born and hour and a half later, just in time for us to get to hospital.

[Alpha_Chook]

I had my first contraction/s in Kmart of all places. It felt like the worst period cramp ever.....

[RachH]

With my first, I was induced
With my second I was watching 'Mr Bean' on telly in bed (yes, it was 2001) and I could NOT get comfortable. I kept getting up to go to the toilet thinking I needed to pooh. Alas a few toilet trips in I got my show, and it all started. It's sometimes difficult in late stages of pregnancy to differentiate between real labour and all the other things that are happening/hurting/stretching/contracting etc

Good luck and best wishes for a smooth and wonderful process
xx

[premmie-29-weeks]

I lost my mucous plug over about 3 days. On the day I felt really fatigued and needed to go to the toilet about 12 times, to do no 2's. About 4pm I went to the bathroom and there was blood everywhere. No real contractions more like period cramps about every 30 minutes and overnight they started to be more intense. Pain moved from lower back to my front and down into my pelvis which was really intense. I spoke to the hospital three time, at 20 minutes apart, 12 minutes and 5-7 minutes. At 5 minutes and 4am I told them I was coming in...I had an epi at 6am (5cm) and he was born 11.40am

[bjk76]

Pre-labour started on Saturday night with period-type aches. I didn't realise what it was and was at my cousin's engagement party, joking 'what if this ache is labour?' Well, it was! I went into established labour on Sunday night and DS was born Monday night on his EDD by caesarean, as labour wasn't progressing. Good luck!

[White-Lily]

The start of my labour with DD was my waters breaking. It was messy and I felt so dirty. I had 3 showers in an hour while the majority of the waters leaked/gushed.
Right after that contractions started which was tightening right underneath my bump just above pubic bone.