Tell me about pre-labour!

It's baby #3 and I'm 37 weeks and having some new experiences compared to my last two babies! With my others, my first real sign of impending labour was my water breaking - at 38+5 and 38+4. This time I've had quite regular painless braxton hicks for a while now, but they seem to be getting lower and more period pain like - they'll stop me in my tracks! They aren't regular or anything but I'm assuming this is just pre labour? I've also had quite a lot of bowel pressure and some diarrhoea yesterday... So does this sound like pre labour? Is it because it's my third? Likely to last for a few weeks? Any thoughts or experiences welcome please!

Sounds like it may be prelabour! I never had any with Moo, but Buster drove me crazy! It was just like period pain and would come and go frequently in the last few weeks. I even had my mum down and was in the birthing suite another thinking it was all happening! In the end I went into labour at just over 38 weeks, all that prelabour meant I had very quick birth compared to my first, 2 and a bit hours compared to 22 :)

Good luck, hope this is the beginning for you!

Thanks for replying. I'm finding it exhausting but trying to think of it as productive! The idea of a quick labour scares me! My DH commutes and will need at least two hours to get home! AND I have had two awesome epidurals and had decided on another - I hope I have time!!!

That's what my prelabour was like with DS. I had nothing first time with DD at all! Prelabour started 7 days almost to the hour with DS, was just random pains but every now and then one would stop me in my tracks and I would go 'oooo this might be it'. It never was :lol:

When it does finally happen your cervix will be lovely and prepared :hug:

Yes it is exhausting, made me quite emotional too :hug:

Thanks ladies :hug: yep super emotional and irritable :(

:hug: hang in there. It's hard work but it is nearing the end :hug: Hopefully with a perfect labour length for you :)

:hug:

It's frustrating as all else but it normally is good for labour. I had per labour both pregnancies and great labours :)

As you know A, I had weeks of prelabour with DD, including the poo issues. My labour was long though but I think that was because of my epidural as things had been progressing nicely until the very strong epi (shortly before transition in hindsight) then slowed down ridiculously. But you've had a better experience with epis than I and DD was my first.... Anyway this is my very longwinded way of saying it is all shaping up to be another great, efficient labour for you. Go body!

As for me I have no idea if/when I'll experience proper prelabour this time as my uterus has been so sensitive I've had period cramps and really strong BH since the end of the second tri. :wall: