Birth Questions .....

[Deltadawn]

Hello everyone!

I'm 22 weeks pregnant and starting to think seriously about the birth process and I've come up with some questions that I'm hoping the more experienced girls may be able to help with. Some of them might sound silly so I apologise in advance.

1. What are the first signs of your body getting ready to go into labour? I've heard back ache, AF pain etc.
2. When your waters break, do you wait for contractions to start before calling the hospital? I know some people have contractions which start almost right away and some people dont have them start for 24 hours or more.
3. Can you have contractions without the water breaking?
4. At what stage of labour do you actually go to the hospital? i.e. when contractions are how far apart (we are only 15 minutes from the hospital).

I'm sure the midwife/ob will go through these at some stage but I like to do my research beforehand.

I figure I'll just listen to my body and do what I feel is right at the time but at this stage, it is hard to know what signs mean what (if that makes sense). I'm sure at the time, I will know what to do .....

Thank you for your help!

[visitor1]

1. What are the first signs of your body getting ready to go into labour? I've heard back ache, AF pain etc. For me it was AF pains and constant need to go to the loo (TMI-number 2's), feeling like i needed to vomit alot.

2. When your waters break, do you wait for contractions to start before calling the hospital? Mine never broke so cant help there, but i think u call them and let them know they have broken and they will guide u wat to do.

3. Can you have contractions without the water breaking? Yep you sure can....i did for 6 hours prior to birth

4. At what stage of labour do you actually go to the hospital? i.e. when contractions are how far apart? I went when they were getting to hard for me to manage....i duno the time apart, but i got there and told me i wasnt in labour (didnt even check if i was dilated at all.....but i was 6cm). When mine got bad i called the hospital and they listened to my pain and how i talked, then they said come in.

[Deltadawn]

Thank you Kimbaz. I've been reading through all the other threads (Babies Due threads) to get an idea of what is likely to happen.

Thank you for your help.

[mumanddadof5]

hi Tonydayl
i had my waters break with all four of mine (my youngest at 22w but had her at35w)
and I had to call because I'm a carrier for grepB
so I carried a chance of infection
two times the contractions didnt start and they has to induce me
but us you get closer to bubby coming talk to your midwife or care giver they could give you some info to read up on maybe ??

[Cricket]

Hello everyone!


1. What are the first signs of your body getting ready to go into labour? I've heard back ache, AF pain etc.
2. When your waters break, do you wait for contractions to start before calling the hospital? I know some people have contractions which start almost right away and some people dont have them start for 24 hours or more.
3. Can you have contractions without the water breaking?
4. At what stage of labour do you actually go to the hospital? i.e. when contractions are how far apart (we are only 15 minutes from the hospital).

Hey Dayl! Here's my experience:
1. Contractions came on five minutes apart right from the start, and were instantly recognizable. Like AF pain, but more intense, and "working" IYKWIM. This is not the standard way to go into labour, but it is what happened to me both times so far. I think it is normal to have the period type pain, but with a much more gradual build up. I had false labour/BH contractions for a week or so before my second was born, but as soon as the real thing started, I could tell the difference. Chances are pretty good you will know the real thing when it happens, even though you haven't felt it before. Other early signs - bloody show when I went to the toilet just before contractions started, and low back ache, achey hips, and a feeling of pressure in the days just before labour started.

2. When your waters break, call your OB/MD/midwife. They will give you further directions. What happens next can depend on how many weeks you are, whether the baby has dropped/engaged yet, how big the baby is, whether the waters are meconium stained or not, and whether you are group B strep positive or not. (they'll do a swab to check for GBS closer to your due date, most likely.) Generally, they like you to deliver your baby within 24-48 hrs after your water breaks to reduce the risk of infection. So if no contractions start, they'll probably induce you.

3. Yes, contractions often (normally?) start without water breaking. With DD1, they broke after about 2-3 hours of labour, naturally. With DD2, they were ruptured artificially after about 6 hours. (baby born 45 min later.)

4. Generally, here they say come in when your contractions are 5 min apart, or if your water breaks, if you are close to the hospital. If you are farther away, they say come as soon as labour is "established" (regular contractions, building in intensity, but not too close together yet.) I think that's pretty standard. They also have you call in to the labour and delivery floor before you come, so they can interview you and see how you really are. They like to hear you on the phone through a contraction, so they can tell how intense things are getting. But that's here, things might be a little different by you. As you already said, I'm sure your doctor will give you directions on that one.

Anyways, hope all goes well for you! I'm sure you'll be fine. BTW - many first time mums love having a doula. Have you considered that? (Sorry, I haven't kept up with your pregnancy - don't know what you are planning on!)
All the best!

[blue daisy]

There are no silly questions

1.
baby engaging in the pelvis
runs of braxton hicks...uterus warming up for the big event
cervix softening, and perhaps a show...mucos blob, which may be clear, pink or blood stained (can occur up to 2 weeks before labor starts)
pelvic heaviness...like the onset of a period
diarhoea and vomiting (some women think they have gastro)...body purging itself
nesting behaviour...preparing your labor nest, babes room

2.
call the hospital when ur waters break...but this only occurs in about 10% of women before labor starts.
they will ask u to put a pad on and lay down for a bit (if it is your waters when u stand up again u will get another gush) and ask if u can still feel the baby moving, color the water (should be clear)...sometimes they may ask you to pop in so they can listen to the babies heart rate and then send you home again
u can stay at home with ur waters broken, but most ob's will want to kick start things if nothing has happened within 24 hrs (to reduce risk of infection)

3.
most women...if not poked and prodded...will labor with their waters intact...the waters naturally breakng in active labor, anywhere from 6-10cms. Some waters dont break and the baby is born in the sack...this is good luck and called 'caul"...I have only ever seen it once
laboring with your waters intact cushions the effect of the babies head pushing on the cervix...making the contractions easier to deal with, as they are not as intense

4.
you go into hospital when u want to

and you are right...listen to your body, and be guided by your instincts

hope this helps

xx yogababy

[Snacks]

HI Tonydayl! Everyone else has answered your questions better than I could, but just wanted to say, 'Agh! You're due the same date I had my baby!!!'

[Karina]

1. What are the first signs of your body getting ready to go into labour? I've heard back ache, AF pain etc. For me, it was when I woke up having mild contractions. I thought, yeah labour might happen soon. Also my waters broke and my "real" labour started straight away.

2. When your waters break, do you wait for contractions to start before calling the hospital? I know some people have contractions which start almost right away and some people dont have them start for 24 hours or more. I had called my hospital when I was getting mild contractions every 5 mins(but not proper labour contrax), which was before my waters broke. They told me to call them again if *my waters break, *contractions get to about 3-4 mins apart *contractions get too painful or *if I started to have bleeding. My waters broke at home and I started getting painful contractions straight away 3 minutes apart.. so I called my hospital and they said to come in! They told me it doesnt matter how many times you call, its better to call and ask than to not call at all and not know what to do.

3. Can you have contractions without the water breaking? yes!

4. At what stage of labour do you actually go to the hospital? i.e. when contractions are how far apart (we are only 15 minutes from the hospital). I went in after my wters broke. I was having painful contrax 3 mins apart. We only live about 15 mins from the hspital too. I think it was about 5 or 6 contractions to the hospital and it was 1:30 am so no traaffic!

[BellyBelly]

Most of your questions are answered in this BB article.