6 Signs You Are Nearing Labour: What To Do

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Giving birth to a child is not an easy task - give credit where it's due, right?. Your body changes every day and you face new challenges. As you are pregnant, it's totally natural for you to become tense and have a lot of questions.

If you have experienced pregnancy and delivery before, you are familiar with certain things, but if it is your first pregnancy, you will have many questions.

It is common for expecting mothers to worry about signs of delivery pain. When will it begin, how painful will it be, and for how long will it last?

How do you tell if your baby is on the way? As every delivery differs from one another, it is not quite possible to answer all questions. However, there are some signs of delivery pain that can indicate your baby is about to be delivered. So,what are the signs of delivery pain?

For new mothers, the following are some of the signs that you are nearing labour. If you are an experienced mother, you may want to take a look to gain a better understanding.

Signs You Are Nearing Labour

Some signs that labour is 24 to 48 hours away include low back pain, weight loss, diarrhoea, and of course, your water breaking.

These are the signs that you are nearing labour and its go-time!

1. You get diarrhoea

As a result of your body's release of prostaglandins, one of the most common signs of delivery pain, your bowels become hyper stimulated. Therefore, you may experience diarrhoea as a result. These hormones cause contraction of the uterus and dilate the cervix [1].

2. You get severe back pain

It is common for women to experience intense pain in their groin and lower back portion as their delivery date approaches. This can be attributed to stretching and shifting of the muscles and joints as they prepare for delivery [2].

3. You have strong contractions

Many would-be mothers overlook this sign, but if you have regular and strong contractions during the last weeks of your pregnancy, it may be time to enter the labour room. If your delivery date is close, you will not be able to stop the pain by drinking or eating anything [3].

4. Your water breaks

Despite the fact that many movies depict it occurring suddenly and requiring a quick trip to the labour room, it does not happen in reality. Most often, women do not experience this since the amniotic fluid does not spout out immediately. However, if you are experiencing regular contractions, the fluid will be released [4][5].

5. Your cervix dilates

There are several signs of delivery pain. Actually, at the final weeks of pregnancy, the whole body prepares for it. When you visit your doctor on a weekly basis, the provider can measure dilation and effacement through an internal examination [6]. However, you should not worry if you do not dilate and the process is slow.

6. Your joints loosen

When a pregnancy comes to an end, your body releases more relaxin, which loosens your joints and ligaments in preparation for delivery. You may notice looser, more relaxed joints in your pelvis and lower back several days before labour [7]. You may also experience diarrhoea as a consequence of relaxin. This may occur when the muscles around your rectum relax.

On A Final Note...

In addition to these signs, check your weight. If it drops suddenly, prepare to deliver. Don't worry about your child's weight as he/she won't stop growing. You start to lose weight as your amniotic fluid breaks down.

Also you can feel your joints loosening. It's actually the hormone relaxin. It softens all your ligaments and opens up your pelvis so the baby can get out.