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In this article let us understand some important facts about signs of labor pain and when to go to the hospital.

Pre-Labor – The early signs of labor

Mood Swings
A day or two before you go into labor, you may notice a sense of anxiety, mood swings, may feel like crying, or a general sense of impatience. It can also show up in feeling increased fear and anxiety around labor, birth and postpartum period, and feeling of fear, rather than being excited to welcome the baby home. These may all be early signs of labor; your whole body and mind is kind of getting ready for the main event – The birth of a baby.

Signs of labor pains
Signs of labour pains symptoms are characteristic changes in the body with impending labor, and every woman’s experience is unique and different. “Normal” can vary from woman to woman. You have likely gone into true labor if you’ve noticed the following signs, but always check with your doctor to be sure.

The Baby drops
Medically known as “lightening,” this is when the baby “drops.” The baby’s head descends deeper into the pelvis. For some women, this occurs up to 2 weeks before the beginning of labor; other women may not notice this event at all. As the baby drops, your breathing can become easier since there is less pressure on the diaphragm from underneath.

Upset stomach
A few hours before labor begins, there may be some digestive discomfort and even diarrhea. This is your body’s way of preparing for delivery (by evacuating anything that might get in the way).

An increased urge to urinate
An increased urge to urinate can be a result of the baby’s head dropping into your pelvis. The low position of the baby’s head puts even more pressure on the urinary bladder, so many women approaching labor might feel a frequent need to urinate.

Feeling the urge to have a bowel movement
Women often describe pelvic pain and pressure as feeling the urge to have a bowel movement. Some women also report experiencing diarrhea or loose bowel movements in the days preceding labor.

Abdominal cramps
One of the first signs of labor is abdominal cramps- like one feel during menstruation. You could also have pain in your lower back that radiates down into the legs. This pain won’t go away with a change of position. This diffuse discomfort and pain in the abdomen can be a sign that active labor is just a few hours away.

Strong, frequent contractions
The clearest sign of being in labor is contractions, more specifically “Regularly coming contractions of increasing strength and decreasing interval are the sign of true labor”. During a contraction, the muscles tighten, and the pain/discomfort increases. when you put your hand on the abdomen, you’ll feel it getting harder; when the muscles relax, the pain fades, and the hardness ease. Labor pain symptoms are different in different cases. The contractions are pushing the baby down and opening the entrance of your womb (the cervix), getting it ready for the baby to go through and be born.

If unsure, ask yourself these questions:

Are the contractions evenly spaced?
True labor contractions are spaced at regular intervals and become more frequent with passing time.

How long do the contractions last?
Real labor contractions last for 20 to 70 seconds.

Are the contractions strong?
Actual labor contractions get stronger over time and don’t ease up. you may not be able to walk or talk through labor contractions once they’ve progressed. The main difference between Braxton Hicks “false” labor and “real” labor contractions is that Braxton Hicks are not as painful; they are not steady, consistent, and escalating; and they occur mainly around your belly rather than an overall sensation around your abdomen. Symptoms of labour pain in 9th month. At what stage you are required to be at the hospital varies so it is important to seek your doctor’s advice about how close contractions should be when you must reach a hospital.

The cervix dilates
Dilation of the cervix is a sign that labor is approaching, although this is detected by the doctor during a pelvic examination. “Fully dilated” means the cervix has dilated to a width of 10 cm.

Thinning of the cervix
In addition to dilation, thinning (effacement) of the cervix also occurs. This occurs in the weeks before labor, since a thinned cervix dilates more easily. This sign is also detected by a doctor during a pelvic exam.

Intense lower back pain
Many women note they experience back pain, especially dull pain in the lower back that comes and goes, as labor approaches. Back pain may accompany contractions felt in other locations or may occur on its own. You may also notice loosening of the joints, particularly in the pelvic area, as the third trimester progresses, in preparation for delivery.

Spotting or ‘Show’
Another sign that your baby might be ready to be born is light spotting or slightly brown or pink discharge, as tissues in the cervix are thinning to prepare for childbirth. You may even pass a “mucus plug,” which was blocking the opening of the cervix to protect the baby against infection. During pregnancy, there’s a plug of mucus in the cervix. This mucus comes away just before labor starts, or when in early labor, and it may pass out of the vagina. This sticky, jelly-like pink mucus is called a show. It can come out in one large piece (it looks similar to the mucus in your nose) or a few little ones.
Once that plug comes off, it’s a clear sign that the baby is ready to come out.

Don’t confuse light spotting or brown discharge with actual bleeding — in case of actual bleeding – a flow of blood, inform the doctor immediately.

Water Breaking
Contrary to what movies show it rarely happens suddenly while a Woman is in the supermarket or movie. Most women experience labor without water breaking at home or in a public place. Signs that labor is 24 to 48 hours away varies from women to women. For most women, membranes rupture, and amniotic fluid leaks after other labor symptoms have already begun. And you won’t necessarily lose it all in one big gush, either — for some women, water breaking feels more like a trickle. Some women wake up thinking they’ve wet the bed! If there is an experience of any form of water breaking, call the doctor, this is a sign that the amniotic sac which protects the child has ruptured, making the mother and baby more susceptible to infection and doctor may want the mother to come to the hospital immediately.

Water breaking is one of the final signs of labor most women experience — and it happens naturally in only around 15 % of births. So, don’t count on it as a definite sign of labor.

Reference:
https://www.whattoexpect.com/…
https://www.medicinenet.com/…