Pre labour symptoms? Can labour really just happen?

[Salsa]

wow - that seems to be quite a few of you who just went straight into it!
Its exciting - but I wonder if I will still be feeling that way if Im still having pre labour stuff 2 -3 weeks from now?
Im trying to relax and tell my body and baby that Im ready now

It just seems such a strange thing to believe I might actually go into labour this time

[Ozziehoffy]

I had nothing to prewarn me... well at least nothing that I'm aware of! First one was c/s - breech - so was before EDD. Second... thought I needed to pee, after getting in and out of bed about 5 times I asked DH if he wanted to get up with me cos I couldn't sleep. Turns out I was in labour...lol. I had NO clue and had no waters break (they did that at hossy) and no plug lost before. So, for me... it was straight into it! Good thing I reckon, no time to contemplate too much...lol.

[puppies]

I think I have been experiencing pre-labour for a week or so now.
- Random period type cramps that are getting more painful each day.
- Same time as the cramp is happening I get lower back pain and tightening like BH
- Need to empty my bladder and number 2's more often.
- Nesting like crazy.
- Very sooky and emotional.
- Last night the cramps I did have woke me up which was interesting.
- pressure in my pubic bone
- more discharge

Not sure if any of these are symptoms of pre- labour but if they are I have been having them for a couple of weeks now and I still have a few weeks to go so could go on for some time yet.

[Tobily]

My first labour just started out of the blue. I had no show, no prelabour contractions (just the braxton hicks I'd been having for months), no pelvic pain, no nothing.

My husband commented about a week before that she had dropped, but I didn't notice any difference and couldn't see it.

I do think that most women have some signs, but whether they're aware of them or not certainly varies. But there are some like me who will just go out of the blue

[Salsa]

well I now have swollen numb heavy feel down 'there'
Extra blood flow or baby pushing down I suppose?

[paradise lost]

I often wonder if i had pre-labour.

I never had a show, except after a stretch i had which didn't work anyway...

My waters broke at 3am and ctx began right away but 12-15mins apart and not very painful. DD wasn't born until 6.20pm, but i wonder how one could say when i was no longer in prelabour and now properly in labour...? At 9am ctx were 40seconds long, about 9 minutes apart. At midday they were about 60seconds long, 5mins apart. At 2.30pm ctx were 60seconds long, every 4 minutes, i was 2-3cm dilated and 50% effaced. At 5pm ctx were 3 in 10mins for 60seconds. At 6.15pm i lay down for my second VE and DD was crowning.

Best of luck hun, it can happen all of a sudden or it can go on a long time, but i don't know ANYONE who had a long pre-labour AND a long labour - the girls who pre-labour for weeks always seem to shoot the baby out after only a couple of hours of hard labour.

Bx

[Sammiejane]

I had similar signs as you...
then at 38 weeks on the monday i got 12hrs of painless regualr contractions.. then nothing
at 39 weeks on the Monday i got 12 hours of irregular painless contractions... then nothing
at 40 weeks on the monday starting at 2am i went into labour - contractions 3 mins apart...

Tiny show (like the size of my pinky fingernail) that i so could have missed the Sunday before... nesting like crazy that evening (i decided to clean the whole computer desk and file everything i could find)

I would say that they last 2 weeks were a killer, just waiting... Someone told me that i will KNOW when i am in labour, but i had friends that didnt... i can tell you at 2am I KNEW i was in Labour and this was it...

Goodluck - not long now Enjoy your rest