Recognising Labour

With my first pg, I had no labour signs until contractions began 8 minutes apart. Due to the lack of other symptoms (and probably a good dose of denial!) I didn't believe it was labour. If it wasn't for DH (who knew it was labour) insisting I ring the hospital who knows what would have happened! The contractions got closer together very quickly, by the time we got to the hospital they were painful and 3 minutes apart (and the midwives found it amusing that I was still saying "no, it's not labour"). I also had a quick labour going from 2cms to fully dilated within 2 hours.

This time my ob has warned me that labour could be even quicker so I won't be delaying heading to hospital. However I have been having painful BHs for a few weeks now and they feel very similar to what I remember of labour pains. They probably aren't as regular, but often when I get them I'm busy and don't concentrate enough to time them properly. So now I'm worrying that I'll be in labour again without realising it (can this really happen twice?) and maybe won't make it to the hospital! And I really will get laughed at if I miss the signs of labour again!! I have read the articles and know all the signs, I just worry that by the time I figure out that they are contractions not BHs, it will be too late.

Am I just being a normal worrying mum to be? You'd think after having been through it once I'd feel more confident of recognising it. But last time I hadn't had the BHs to confuse the issue. Oh well, probably just pg brain! Anyone else want to reassure me??

Melanie

Wow, I can't believe you dialated 8cm within two hours with your first!!
I would advise talking to your DH about what you're currently experiencing....
Maybe do a self check and see if you're dialated at all? Sounds weird but I recall another BB member saying she checked herself before heading for the hosp. as she wanted to wait till she was at least 4 cm or something....so it can be done.....
Good luck!

Labour Signs - Could I Be In Early Labour? - here you go, have a good read of this and it might make things a little more easy to pick :)

BH can be very intense.My belly looks like a football when it tenses and sometimes its like strong period type pain. I had them every 3 to 4 minutes for an hour last week.

Does Braxton Hicks always come with pain? Last night i had about 5 bouts off what i thought was Braxton Hicks but they werent painful, just my belly tightening.

Kellxx, no, there's not always pain with BH, but it seems pain with BHs is more common in subsequent pgs.

Thanks Kelly for the info. I guess my worry is that by the time I've established whether the pains are regular and intensifying, I could be giving birth. I guess I'll have to be more vigilant with timing them once I'm closer to my due date.

ChocolateCatty - my mum had quick labours too (and they got quicker!), so it wasn't totally unexpected, but I do feel lucky!

Well, the update on this is that the real pains were not regular when they came. Luckily something about the intensity made me ring my ob. Within an hour of the pains starting I was in hosp and 5cm. Thomas arrived 3 hours after the pains started, and during peak hour, so I'm very glad instinct kicked in and I got straight to the hosp. So if anyone wants to know the answer to the question, sometimes the only way to know if it is labour is instinct. Things are not always like the text books say!