What are the Signs of Labor

Knowing when a woman is going into labor is not yet an exact science. Even woman that have given birth multiple times can be perplexed about to exactly when she is going to go into labor. Labor is something the body starts building up to weeks before the actually event. The best thing a woman can do is look out for the signs of labor.

Often women begin subconscious nesting when the due date starts to approach. They may feel a boost of energy and a desire to get things done around the house. There could be a desire to clean or decorate. This boost of unexplained energy is mother natures way of saying you better get all of that last minute stuff done because this baby is coming. Don’t go overboard though as this can be a tendency.

Throughout a pregnancy the body is preparing the muscles of the uterus for labor. You might feel this prep in the form of contractions. They can range any where from mild to severe. This is a workout for your uterus and is normal. These types of contractions should subside with either very light physical activity or just a little time. Even though some of these contractions can be pretty convincing they are really just warm-ups for the big game. However, if you are noticing that these workouts are a little more intense than normal it could be a sign that the big game is just around the corner.

There can also be changes in your physical appearance that can be signs that the time is near. The most common sign and probably the easiest to look out for is the dropping of a mother’s belly. The baby begins to turn and drop to position itself in the birthing canal in preparation for birth. Some mother’s will carry the baby high in the abdomen during pregnancy so that this decent into the birthing canal is an obvious physical change. Some mothers whose babies are positioned lower in the abdomen natural may only be able to tell by an increased pressure on the uterus or the bladder.

Another tell-tell sign can be an increased swelling especially in the feet or legs. The reasons for this are two-fold. One of which could be that the baby’s head is applying extra pressure to blood vessels. Another is the fact that the mother's body is preparing for blood loss. You blood vessels will begin to expand in order to store more blood in order to ensure that the mother has sufficient blood supply even with the blood loss due to a natural pregnancy.

You may begin experiencing different types of discharge. This discharge can range from a mucous like discharge to bloody. The discharge can be signs of the mucous plug dislodging. This is also known as the bloody show since there can be tinges of blood in the mucous plug. Water breaking or the breaking of the amniotic sac is one of the famous signs but even this sign of labor can happen days before a birth. So just because you see the signs doesn’t mean it’s time.