Labor Signs Symptoms

• Lightening

• Lightening occurs when the baby drops or settles lower into your pelvis.
• Often you will suddenly find you are less short of breath because your lungs have more room to expand.
• Pressure will increase in your pelvis though, and you may need to urinate more often.
• Lightening usually occurs several weeks prior to your first delivery. With following births, it may happen just hours before delivery.

• Bloody show

• As the cervix thins and starts to dilate (open) in preparation for delivery, small capillaries burst and cause a pink or brown vaginal discharge.
• The mucous plug, which has sealed the cervix throughout the pregnancy, dislodges. It will look like pink or blood-tinged stringy mucus.
• Bloody show can occur anywhere from hours to several weeks before delivery.
• If the discharge is bright red, or more than an ounce is present, a problem with the placenta may have occurred, and you should contact your health care provider immediately.

• Nesting instinct

• Some women notice a burst of energy a few days prior to going into labor.
• This is nature's way of helping ensure everything is ready when the new baby arrives.

• Nausea and diarrhea
  
  
  • Hormonal changes early in labor can cause an upset stomach, cramps, and diarrhea.

• Increased Braxton Hicks contractions
  
  
  • These practice contractions, which have been present during the last several months of pregnancy, may become more frequent, intense, and even painful.