Forum : 2011

Hi ya, I know lots of people say "you'll know" but you do wonder! This is just from my experience, but labour started for me with period like pains, they don't usually start regular but become regular, they get stronger and longer. It feels a bit like a belt tightening round your tummy and radiate from back to front or vice versa. As for waters breaking... some people DO have their waters break in a huge flood, but more usually, its a trickle that you can't stop, some times waters go, but with no labour pains! The other thing to look out for is a bloody show, which (forgive the tmi) is snot like in appearance and texture and sometimes can have streaks of blood in it turning it a pinky colour. Although lots of people report they lost the plug before going into labour, personally I always lose my plug in early labour. oh and the other thing about waters is that a lot of people's waters don't break until established labour. There are lots of ifs buts maybes and sometimes, but every single pregnancy and labour and delivery is totally different for everybody. Hope this helps a little! The main thing I stress to you is not to worry so much, it WILL make labour pains less effective and more painful if you're tense and panicking. So the key is to relax! x good luck
Jan