Chapter 2: Before Labor and Birth
How Do I know if Labor is starting?
This is such a common question- especially for first time parents. In those days and weeks leading up to the birth it can feel intimidating, unknown and even overwhelming. Those feelings mixed with being completely done with pregnancy can (and do) lead a lot of us to really overthink every little symptom towards the end of pregnancy- often catching ourselves thinking or saying out loud “oh, is this different? Could this be labour???” only to go to sleep that night, thinking we will be woken up by contractions- to wake up the next morning and nothing. It can feel annoying and like you will be pregnant forever- but trust me you won’t be!
So I am here today to dispel that unknown and to give you a more concrete idea of how to know if labor is TRULY starting.
It is good to know that there are many symptoms of the “end” of pregnancy. I use quotations there because the reality is that “end” can mean hours, days or even weeks. These include losing your mucus plug, having loose stools or nausea, increased urination, the nesting instinct, stagnant dilation (1-2cm at the dr office without consistent contractions), exhaustion, alertness, braxton hicks, prodromal labor - wow no wonder we get so caught up in all these symptoms and think everything must be labor beginning. Don't fret. I will get into all of these in the PDF! However the most important thing to know is…
the only true sign that labor is beginning and you know that baby is coming if you are experiencing surges or contractions that are coming consistently and growing in tensity.
Let me say that again the only TRUE sign that labor is starting and that baby will be here soon - if you are experiencing surges or contractions that are coming consistently and growing intensity.
So we just went through all of the symptoms of end of pregnancy but what if you are feeling what you think are contractions but they just don’t seem to be doing anything?
Braxton Hicks? Or EArly Labor? Which is it?
Braxton Hicks (also known as prodromal labor) are sometimes described as mild menstrual cramping and can be uncomfortable. They are the uterus muscles contracting and relaxing as a way of preparing the body for birth but they are not true labor contractions. The biggest difference between them and early labor contractions is that they can last in duration a long time, 5-15 minutes at a time, in comparison to labor contractions that only last about 25-35 seconds.
These kinds of contractions are also sporadic, and do not show any kind of consistency or pattern. For example having Braxton hicks for 2 hours that are just tightening for 5-15 minutes a few times, or continuous cramping sensation for 30 minutes. While uncomfortable- this is normal but also not a reason to head to the hospital. Especially since this kind of cramping can last for weeks.
“Braxton Hicks contractions do not result in dilation of the cervix but may have a role in cervical softening.
The intermittent contraction of the uterine muscle may also play a role in promoting blood flow to the placenta. Oxygen-rich blood fills the intervillous spaces of the uterus where the pressure is relatively low. The presence of Braxton Hicks contractions causes the blood to flow up to the chorionic plate on the fetal side of the placenta. From there the oxygen-rich blood enters the fetal circulation.”
With all of that being said however, there are things that we can do to encourage comfort and the prodromal labor to ease up (especially since we do not want to get exhausted before labor truly begins.)
Here are the ones I usually suggest:
I show some of these techniques in the videos in this section to help you feel confident in using them!