Pregnancy - Final Stages
<p><b>5 signs of Labour</b></p><p><b>How to tell your baby may be on the way</b></p>
<p>As a first-time mum, one of your biggest concerns may be if you'll be able to recognise when it’s time to meet your bundle of joy. Know that every woman's experience is unique and will vary from one to the other.</p>
<p>Normal labour signs and symptoms can begin three weeks before the anticipated due date up until two weeks afterward. There's no precise way to predict exactly when you'll go into labour but knowing the signs can help you identify the onset of labour.</p>
<p><b>Your baby is finally on the way if:</b></p>
<p><b>The baby drops</b>. When your baby drops, you'll experience a heavy feeling in your pelvis with pressure on your bladder, and you may feel the need to urinate more frequently. Medically known as "lightening", it can happen a few weeks or a few hours before labour.</p>
<p><b>You have blood-tinged mucus discharge</b>. As the cervix readies itself for labour, the mucus in the cervix will often emerge from the vagina.</p>
<p><b>Your waters break</b>. While some women feel a big gush of liquid, most only feel a slight trickle that can be mistaken for pee. When your waters break, it should be clear and watery, or mixed with a little bloody mucus, making it slightly pink. When this happens, often, you'll experience a constant flow of water more when you're moving, standing up or after a contraction.</p>
<p>If you think your water has broken:</p>
<p>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>Write down the time it happened.</p>
<p>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>How much fluid was released.</p>
<p>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>What the fluid looked like.</p>
<p>Call your doctor or the hospital and let them know what happened. When your water breaks, the barrier protecting your baby from infection is gone, so your hospital will usually ask you to head there right away.</p>
<p><b>You have regular contractions</b>. Contractions might begin as back pain or lower pelvic cramping but will gradually become ber and more regular. Real labour contractions won't stop when you change your position or try to relax, unlike Braxton Hicks contractions which would stop as you start walking. Call your doctor when you start experiencing contractions and if they don't stop when you change position.</p>
<p><b>You have back pain</b>. Back pain may accompany contractions felt in other places or may happen on its own. Many women experience a dull pain in the lower back that comes and goes, as labour approaches. The sensation of loosening of the joints, particularly in the pelvic area, as the third trimester progresses, in preparation for delivery may be felt too.</p>
<p>As you approach 33 to 36 weeks of your pregnancy, pack an overnight bag, and leave it in an easily accessible place, as you could deliver any time over the next month.</p>
