First time moms and moms of five doubt themselves when they go into labor. Be sure of yourself with these 12 signs that you are in labor.
One of these signs alone does not typically signify labor. Usually you have many signs together such as pain at regular intervals with the duration and severity increasing and bloody show present.
1. Pains at regular intervals
If you are feeling pains (or contractions) every 3 to 10 minutes for longer than an hour, you are probably in labor. That doesn’t mean you’re having a baby this second though. So use the other signs below to help you see where you are in labor.
Having contractions 1 time an hour or 2 times an hour probably does not mean you are in labor. Those sporadic contractions are usually referred to as Braxton Hicks.
2. Intervals gradually shorten
Your contractions go from 10 minutes apart to 7 to 5 to 3 minutes apart over time. Not all labor patterns start the same, so do not base your labor off of my 15 minute example.
If the intervals between contractions stay the same such as 20 or 30 minutes apart for a few hours, you probably are not in labor yet or you’re so early that I would stop monitoring contractions until you feel them closer.
3. Duration and severity increases
Your first contraction may only last 20 seconds and feel like a mild period cramp or nothing at all. By the time you are ready to push out a baby your contractions are usually over a minute (60-90 seconds) long and more painful than those 20 second ones.
20 second contractions typically do not have enough force to bring baby out.
Some do not really feel pain with their contractions and I am a tad bit jealous of them. So do not base where you are in labor by your level of pain.
4. Pain starts in back and moves to front
As your contractions strengthen, so does your uterus. The first contractions of labor may bring a dull, aching pain in your back. Where as contractions further on in labor will move to the front of your body.
There are also women who experience back labor only. So again, do not just focus on one sign.
5. Association between the degree of uterine hardening and intensity of pain
Those small 20 second contractions may not bring a really hard “belly.” As contractions become stronger, so does the hardness of the uterus – felt by resting your hands on your stomach. Your intensity of pain should increase as the hardening of your uterus increases.
Again, some do not feel pain with their labors so focus on more than one sign.
Related – Child birth classes that will prepare you for labor and birth
6. Bloody show often present
Bloody show is where there are streaks of blood or tiny amounts of blood when you wipe after using the bathroom. It might be mixed with mucus. You may not even notice there is blood if you aren’t paying attention. As the cervix dilates (or opens) blood vessels in the cervix break and bleed.
For some, this is the first sign of labor and for others they do not see bloody show until 7 or 8 centimeters dilated. Bloody show is a for sure sign that your cervix is opening.
7. The bag of waters may break
I know that hollywood shows us that the first sign of labor for many is the bag of waters breaking. Some labors start out this way but it is fairly common for your water to break around 7 to 9 centimeters OR while pushing.
Your bag of waters creates a cushion for baby while those pesky contractions are squeezing him. It is preferred that your bag of waters stay intact as long as possible to decrease your risk of infection.
8. Cervix effaced and dilated
This sign is measured by an internal vaginal exam by your healthcare provider. Bloody show is a good indicator of cervical change but it does not tell you exactly where you are but neither does a vaginal exam.
The thinning and stretching of the cervix over a period of time can tell you that labor is progressing but it is not the sole way of knowing. If you are checked at 9 am and found to be 4 cm dilated. Then again at 4 pm and you are 7 cm dilated – you progressed!
There are many other signs such as the ones we are talking about that show progression of labor. There are many other visual signs not discussed here that midwives and doctors use to show labor progress.
9. Descent of presenting part
This is also measured by an internal vaginal exam. Measured by feeling the fetal presenting part, usually the head, moving down from up in the top of your pelvis to your vaginal opening.
Babies can be pretty low in the pelvis before labor starts or pretty high. Each labor is different.
10. Head is fixed between pains
This means that the fetal head, as the presenting part in the birth canal, stays in the same place between contractions. This usually means that the head is lower in the birth canal. If the head can move all over the place it is not engaged or ” free floating.”
This is not always a bad thing. Baby might be in a less optimal birth position and need to move and adjust to fit your pelvis well.
11. Sedation does not stop true labor
There are many different options of sedation for stopping “false” or early labor.
- Empty your bladder. A full bladder can stimulate contractions.
- Taking a warm bath that stops contractions.
- Drinking water. Dehydration can cause uterine contractions.
- Changing positions. Different positions such as laying on your back can stimulate contractions.
- Stop over activity. Being overactive can cause contractions.
- Taking an approved over the counter medication by your midwife or doctor to stop contractions.
True labor will not be stopped by any of these. Contractions might slow down for a few minutes but they will still keep going. That is the key here.
12. Your baby is active during the contraction
As contractions get stronger and closer together fetal movement DURING the contraction slows down. It makes it hard for baby to move while being squeezed tight by the contraction.
Like mentioned above, there are exceptions to this sign. I attended a birth recently where baby was wiggly up until she was born. Babies can be very active during Braxton Hicks contractions or they can be still. This is one of those signs you want to pair with many other signs.
Baby should still be moving between the contractions unless he is in a sleep cycle. If you are concerned about fetal movements, do fetal kick counts.
Related – Why Choose Hypnobirthing?
Woo Hoo! I’m in labor! Now what?
Now you notify your midwife or doctor and remember you’ve go this!
I may be in labor. How do I know for sure?
If you are uncertain, contact your midwife or doctor. Tell them the all the signs you are in labor and they will help come up with a plan.
I’m not in labor… yet.
That’s okay! Drink plenty of fluids, keep up your healthy pregnancy diet and try to be patient.
The signs that you are in labor are not a one size fits all.
In fact, labor starts in many different ways for everyone. The same person can have different signs from pregnancy to pregnancy.
If you’ve had a previous pregnancy or two, what signs you are in labor did you experience?
