Empowered Delivery Preparations - How Do I Know If I'm In Labor? - Signs That Labor May Be Coming Soon

By: Aunt Doula (09/30/2023)

Welcome to the inexact signs of labor coming soon. Soon is a relative term, and as such each sign will have it's approximate time window of when it may occur as a lead up to labor. The most important thing to remember about any sign of labor, is that except for your water breaking, most of the common signs of labor being "soon" varies for every pregnancy, every person, and may not occur within the specific windows listed here. This is a general overview of common signs that many people who are nearing the end of their third trimester may experience - each of these signs on their own does not usually constitute impending labor within 24 hours, but experiencing multiple things on this list close together may mean you are within a couple days of delivery! This is where it is extremely important to remember that inexact is very literal - no two people or pregnancies will ever unfold the same. As is always the Number 0 rule - When In Doubt, Get Checked Out.

This is a multi part series on labor preparation

If you want to read about 4-1-1 & how to know when to go to your delivery place while in labor click here If you want to learn about all the ways people try to induce labor and if they are effective, click here If you would like to learn about getting checked for if you are in labor, click here

Baby dropping / Lightening - 0-4 weeks prior to delivery. Prediction Level: Low

• While this is not always experienced in one moment, some people feel a significant 'drop' of their bump which can not only make it feel like you can take a deep breath for the first time in months, but you may also experience being able to eat larger portions of food at a time. The other things you may notice is increased pressure in your pelvis, a urge to go poop constantly, and somehow needing to pee even more than before. This is all due to the way that the head of your baby is now engaged in your pelvis and pressing on new structures. You may also experience a fullness in your vagina, a pressure on your tailbone, and your bumy may visibly look lower!

Loss of mucus plug / Bloody show - 0 to 4 weeks prior to labor onset. Prediction level: Low

• During the course of your pregnancy, a mucus plug has developed in your cervix that acts as a barrier to keep the uterine environment free of any contamination. Your cervix is a muscular tube about 1-1.5 inches (25-40mm) long and the entire length may be filled with the plug. Usually firm, even waxy in appearance, the plug may come out in pieces or all at once. Usually this is dislodged because of cervix changes that are expected near the end of the third trimester - ripening, effacement and/or dilation. Due to the high number of blood vessels in the cervix, the process of the mucus plug dislodging can come with a small amount of blood, hence the name 'bloody show.' Due to the extended amount of time the mucus plug remains in the cervix, it may be a tinged green/yellow or even light brown color. It is possible to lose your muscle plug in the second trimester for a number of reasons, and if that seems to have happened, contact your provider for any instructions on what to do for follow up. In most cases, it is a fluke and there is plenty of time for a new plug to form.

New onset or increased severity of Loose bowels / Heartburn - Days prior to delivery. Prediction level: Moderate. Higher if you have not experienced these symptoms or don't have other possible causes!

• In the days and hours leading up to labor, many hormones are being signaled to release and prime the body for labor. One of these hormones is prostaglandin which is the primary hormone in cervical changes - however it also effects the intestines and sphincters of the body and can lead to loose bowels and heartburn. Some believe that the evacuation of the bowels is important for 'making room' for delivery but this has never been proven.

Nesting behaviours (cleaning, organizing, attention to detail or deep need of completion of tasks before baby comes) 0 - 1 week prior to delivery. Prediction Level: Moderate

• Nesting is thought to be an hormonal impulse and doesn't happen to everyone. Thought to be triggered by a sense of making a safe place for you to give birth or bring baby home to a safe place, we don't know fully why it happens but we just know it does for some people! Often, it is accompanied by a burst of energy that is unexpected and then abates.

Insomnia (new onset) 0 to 4 weeks prior to delivery. Prediction level: Low to moderate

• Many have posited theories as to why insomnia may spike prior to delivery. Some suggest it is to prepare you for the lack of sleep you may experience with a newborn and prepare you to be awake at night as much as during the day. Some say it's purely the discomforts of pregnancy. Some say it is the hormonal shifts that suppress sleep hormones or circadian rhythms. Whatever the reason, if you have found yourself staying up late with no other cause, it may be a sign of labor being around the corner!

Braxton Hicks contractions becoming more common or clustering together - 0-2 weeks prior to delivery. Prediction Level: Moderate, especially if new onset or changed pattern.

• Sometimes called practice contractions (but sometimes feel quite strong!) or worse 'false labor' - these are a sign that your uterus is preparing for the big day. Like any muscle, it needs to be moved and used to be understood by the brain - so these early contractions are a sort of training that the uterus goes through to make sure it is sending and receiving signals from the brain appropriately. The primary difference between practice contractions and labor contractions is if they are coming in consistent intervals. Intervals may be as long as 30 minutes when in early labor but usually not more than this. So if you are having bouts of contractions that are inconsistently spaced, clustered, or coming and going all day, it is most likely to be practice contractions.

If your contractions are consistently up to 30 minutes apart you may be in prodromal labor which is a form of pre labor where the contractions are consistent, but are not coming closer together and not increasing in intensity or in length. Prodromal labor can be exhausting, and may go on a while (average is 3 days, as much as 7 days) - hang in there!

Backache / loose joints (new onset, acute backache that has changed) 0-2 weeks prior to delivery Prediction Lavel: Moderate

• Backaches and loose joints are often a frequent issue throughout pregnancy, however towards impending labor it may shift to specifically aching over the tops of the hips or in the sacrum (lowest portion of your spine including the tail bone) due to a surge of the hormone relaxin which helps the pelvis and vagina becomes as flexible as possible to facilitate birth. While this hormone is present during most of pregnancy, it can spike close to delivery. Relaxin unfortunately effects the entire body, and can also increase heartburn, make your joints feel like they are going to give way, or you might be finding yoga positions to be a little deeper than before.

Hot flashes and/or Mood Swings 0-1 weeks prior to delivery. Prediction Level: Moderate, especially new onset.

• Both hot flashes and mood swings are indications of shifting hormones, which means your body may be starting or moving towards changes needed for labor.

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As noted above, in isolation one of these signs may not tell you very much, but if you experience many in rapid succession, chances are you are headed for labor in under a week on average with a constellation of impending labor when 2-3 are put together.

If you are patiently (or not so patiently!) waiting for spontaneous labor but have an induction set, it is important to know that gaining any of these signs can mean you will have a more favorable state going into your induction and hopefully need fewer interventions to give your body just a little jumpstart rather than a giant push to tip into labor.