The long-awaited date to finally meet your baby is approaching. It’s only a few weeks, even days away, and with the excitement, nerves and all the feelings on the surface come the false alarms or the vain visits to the clinic, moment in which you ask yourself the big question: How do I know if I’m in labor?
Relax, it is normal that sometimes we confuse the signs and think we are in labor when we are not yet, especially if you are a new mother. We cannot assure you that in all cases it is the same because, as you know, all women are different. But there are some some symptoms that can help you know if you are in labor.
The weeks before delivery
Your body begins to undergo new changes a month before delivery, but we often mistake these changes for symptoms that you’re about to give birth.. You may even feel some contractions and not be in labor.
So how do I know if I’m in labor? For starters, it’s important to know these changes in the last few weeks. This will be a first indication that the big moment is near, without saying that you are still in labor.
One of the first changes is that you will feel your ankles and legs swelling, and some even feel a little pain because of this; you may also feel like going to the bathroom much more often. you may also have the urge to go to the bathroom much more often. and in some cases a slight itching in the vagina.
Another change in the weeks before delivery is that you may have cold spells, some shivering and feel a little weak. This happens because your hormones increase and widen your cervix.
The last of the changes is the one that makes us doubt whether you are in labor or not. These are the famous false contractions or Braxton Hicks contractionsmore specifically. We call them false contractions not because you don’t really feel them, but because they are not the contractions that induce labor. They are short, they do not hurt or hurt very little and they are irregular. In addition, your belly becomes rounder, harder and a little lower.
Symptoms or signs to know if I am in labor
Now that you know the preliminary changes that occur about a month before delivery and there is little time left to give birth to your baby, you should know that you are in labor. there is little time left to give birth to your babyIf you are pregnant, these are some of the symptoms or signs that may indicate that the long-awaited moment has arrived.
1. Your breathing changes
As your baby begins to move down into the pelvis to fit into the position to fit into the position needed for birth, you may feel yourself breathing better, more deeply. This change occurs because your rib cage is no longer under pressure.
2. Diarrhea
Some women don’t notice it, but diarrhea can be a clue that you are in labor. Usually occurs hours before labor begins..
3. Some aching pains
You may feel some pain in your lower back as labor approaches. when the time of labor is approaching. But make sure that these pains are particular and not the same as others you have experienced during your pregnancy.
4. You expel the mucus plug
The mucus plug is a kind of dense but gelatinous, brownish-colored discharge that is found in the cervix to protect your baby from infections that may occur. You may pass it a few days before or during labor.. If it happens in the days before, it does not mean that you are in labor, unless it joins all the other symptoms.
5. Your water breaks or your water breaks
How do I know if I am in labor? This is the most appropriate and identifiable sign that you are in labor. It is the expulsion of an abundant fluid (as if you had peed) that occurs when the bag containing the amniotic acid ruptures and releases this fluid responsible for protecting your baby.
It is possible that in some cases a little blood may come out, do not panic, this only means that you expelled the mucus plug at the same time your water broke. Of course, when this happens, go to the doctor immediately, as your labor is about to begin.
6. Contractions
These are the real contractions. They feel very painful, are more rhythmic and are repeated every so often. You feel the contractions in your lower abdomen, like during menstrual cramps and as during menstrual cramps and as labor gets closer, they move to the back.
7. Your cervix dilates
This sign to know if you are in labor is very difficult to contemplate if you are not with your doctor, because it is when the cervix softens and begins to dilate.It is the gynecologist who can measure this dilation.
We hope we have been able to answer your question about how to know if you are in labor. In any case, you should keep in constant contact with your doctor and follow his or her recommendations to know how to start labor. Much happiness to you, who will now be a mother, and to your baby.