10 Signs Labor Is Near (and What to Do)

As you approach your due date, you can expect to have lots of feelings. You may be excited, nervous, and more than a little uncomfortable. But which sensations are signs that labor is near?

Early labor—also called latent labor—can last for days. Many first signs of labor are vague and easily misinterpreted. Do those dull cramps signal that your baby is moving into position, or are they just a reminder of the burrito you ate last night? Is that little trickle of fluid your water breaking, or is it just urine leaking?

Here, learn the telltale clues that your baby is on their way, along with expert advice about when to head to the hospital or birthing center or wait at home a little longer.

Signs That Labor Is Weeks or Days Away

Your body is busy throughout pregnancy, but shifts into a new gear once you enter the second half of your third trimester. While the following symptoms are not necessarily signs that labor is imminent, they are indications that you are getting closer to the big day.

Carrying lower

As you approach delivery, the fetus descends lower into the birth canal in a process called "lightening" or "engagement." If it's your first pregnancy, lightening usually happens two to four weeks before delivery, but it can happen earlier.

With this shift, the fetus's weight is no longer pressing on your diaphragm, and you may be able to breathe more freely. The tradeoff? With the increased pelvic pressure, you may need to pee even more often than you have been.

Slower weight gain

Near the very end of your pregnancy, weight gain tends to slow. You can chalk this up to a few different things, including:

• Your baby reaching their full-term size
• Loss of water weight (1 to 3 pounds is normal)
• Lower appetite as your growing uterus pushes on your stomach and other organs
  

Increased vaginal discharge

Many people experience an increase in vaginal discharge (leukorrhea) during pregnancy, and sometimes the amount of this discharge noticeably increases in the weeks and days leading up to labor as your body prepares for your baby to pass through the birth canal. Leukorrhea plays a vital role in the vagina's ability to self-clean.

Loose and frequent bowel movements

If you're finding yourself taking a few more trips to the bathroom with loose and frequent bowel movements, blame hormones. Your body releases certain hormones to prepare for labor, including prostaglandin. Prostaglandin helps your cervix thin and soften so it can dilate (open), but it can also cause diarrhea.

Nesting instinct kicks in

If you get a sudden burst of restlessness or increased energy, you may be nesting. It's a natural phenomenon that many pregnant mammals experience in preparation for welcoming a baby.

If you feel a spike in the nesting instinct, use it wisely and don't do anything too extreme. "Don't knock yourself out," advises Barbara Moran, PhD, CNM, a nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife in Dunn Loring, Virginia. "You'll need your energy for labor."

More "practice" contractions

As your third trimester progresses, you may notice an increase in Braxton Hicks contractions—sporadic "practice" contractions that feel like a tightening or hardening of the uterus. Additionally, you may notice a sensation of building pressure or cramping in your pelvic and rectal area.

Mucusy discharge or "bloody show"

Even closer to labor, you may notice a mucusy discharge that's different from the leukorrhea you've become accustomed to. This may be your body expelling its mucus plug, the substance that plugged your closed cervix during pregnancy to protect your baby from infection.

As you progress toward labor, your cervix begins to soften, thin (efface), and dilate (open) in preparation for delivery, causing the plug to dislodge.

As the cervix continues to thin and open, tiny blood vessels break along the surface of the cervix and tinge the mucus. As a result, the discharge may look brown, pink, or red. After you notice this "bloody show," labor could be hours, days, or even weeks away, says Carol J. Grabowski, MD, chief of staff of the women's division at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in California.

Signs You're Going Into Labor Within Hours

The above signs are a good indication that your body is getting ready for labor. But if you experience any of the following symptoms, you may be entering the first stage of labor.

Water breaks

Experiencing a trickle or even gush of water from your vagina? It could be amniotic fluid from your bag of waters breaking.

Not everyone's water breaks before labor begins, but if your amniotic sac ruptures on its own, it usually means that labor is just around the corner, if not already underway, says Dr. Grabowski. Around 90% of pregnant people who are full-term (37 weeks or more pregnant) spontaneously go into labor within 24 hours after their water breaks.

If your water breaks, it's important to consult your health care provider. Once your amniotic sac ruptures, your baby becomes more vulnerable to infections, so your health care provider may advise inducing labor if contractions don't begin on their own within about 24 hours.

Back pain

Many people deal with back aches throughout pregnancy. But if the ache becomes especially painful or localized in your low back, it can be a sign that you're experiencing "back labor," which most commonly happens when the baby is head down but facing forward ("sunny side up").

"Normally, a baby descends the birth canal with its face pressed against your spine," notes Kay Johnson, CNM, a certified nurse midwife in Atlanta. "But in some cases, the baby descends with its skull hitting the spine." The result? Constant pain that may radiate to the abdomen but is mostly concentrated in the lower back.

Some pregnant people will also experience contractions that feel like back pain or have radiating pain to or from their back during contractions.

Increasing contractions

You may have experienced sporadic Braxton Hicks contractions through pregnancy. If it's late in the third trimester, how do you know if the clenching and releasing sensations in your uterus are practice contractions or the real deal?

Labor contractions may be sporadic at first and be up to 20 minutes apart. But these contractions will get closer together and stronger over time. If you notice this pattern, it's a good idea to call your health care provider for guidance. If contractions are coming strong and fast, head to the hospital or birthing center.

When To Call Your Health Care Provider

Generally, it’s a good idea to call your doctor or midwife (or head to the hospital or birth center) when contractions are around 5 minutes apart and lasting 45–60 seconds each. Ask your health care provider for instructions on when to call them when you think you’re in labor. They may recommend a different protocol for you.

Second (or third or fourth or fifth) labors tend to progress more quickly than the first. So if this isn’t your first time giving birth, you may be instructed to come in when contractions are a little further apart.

In most cases, however, you don't want to rush to the hospital. Laboring people are often much more comfortable spending early labor at home. Going to the hospital too early can result in being sent home until you're further along, and premature hospital admission carries a significantly higher risk of delivering by C-section.

How To Cope During Early Labor

If you have taken childbirth preparation classes, you likely learned some relaxation techniques for coping with discomfort and anxiety during early labor. Keeping a running list of techniques to try. What works for you may be different than what works for others, and what works best may change over the course of your labor.

Relaxation techniques

Common coping techniques for labor include:

• Changing positions: Walking, lying on your side, bouncing on an exercise ball, lying over an exercise ball, hands and knees
• Comforting touch: Massage, stroking, brushing hair, holding hands
• Deep breathing: For relaxation and offering needed oxygen to the fetus
• Mental and physical relaxation: Exercises like progressive relaxation, visualization, and repetitive mantras
• Self-hypnosis: Hypnobirthing techniques for relaxation
• Soothing environment: Aromatherapy, dim lighting, whispering
  

Take a warm bath

If your water hasn’t already broken, a warm bath can be just the thing to soothe and distract you in early labor. While there is some controversy over giving birth while submerged in water, the benefits in early labor are supported by medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Benefits of water immersion during the first stage of labor include:

• Decreased use of epidural, spinal, or paracervical analgesia
• Shorter labors
• Relaxation

Hydrate

Labor is hard work. Your body will likely welcome sips of water. For a long time, hospitals restricted food and drink during labor because of the risk of aspiration in the event of emergency anesthesia. More recently, though, medical organizations are recognizing the value of allowing most people to self-hydrate with clear fluids like water, tea, sports drinks, or coconut water when they are in labor.