This article was originally published on October 30, 2016. It was updated by Kirstie Landry on October 1, 2020.
One of the most important things that a woman should know about being pregnant is that each woman goes through different experiences when she is expecting a baby. Those last few weeks before labor could be very challenging for some and some may happily just inch towards the D-day. Most importantly, it should be remembered that if there are signs of labor that are unlike others it should not cause any concern to the mother. It is completely normal.
Furthermore, pregnancy is a time that includes lots of changes to a woman's body. That is especially true when she reaches the last few weeks and gets closer to her estimated due date. Before the active labor begins, the body prepares itself for the tough time ahead. There are many physiological changes happening inside the pregnant woman that she may or may not notice in the last few weeks before going into labor.
There are a lot of very interesting things that pregnant women should know about labor, and that is even more true if they have never been through it before. One of those things is that there is something called prodromal labor.
According to healthline.com, this kind of labor begins and ends before the actual labor gets started. In some women, this may cause a lot of discomfort and pain and it can go on for a couple of weeks. It may also confuse some into thinking it is real labor. But when the mother rushes to the hospital, she is told that it was false labor.
There are some definitive signals of labor starting soon, but other signs are just preparatory changes in the body that can happen for days or weeks.
Here is a list of changes that happen in the body of a pregnant woman before the labor starts. One should remember that signs of prodromal labor are different from the ones that happen before labor really begins.
15 There's Increased Bowel Movement
Many women have reported frequent toilet trips and some of them even get diarrhea. According to bellybelly.com.au, when the body starts preparing for labor, it produces a hormone called prostaglandin that helps relax the muscles. This makes the bowels move quickly. This process helps make more room in the lower abdomen for the baby’s way out.
The body tries to keep the intestines free and help move the baby. This happens during pre-labor.
When the real labor starts, all women need to empty their bowels as directed by the hospital staff just before going into the labor room. The severity of this symptom varies in all women. In fact, some women might not even experience it at all.
The reason could be that bowels can slow down when appetite reduces and it also depends on the food or kind of food intake. That is the reason this pre-labor change in the body is noticeable in some while absent in others.
14 Mom-To-Be May Suffer From Insomnia
For almost every pregnant woman, it is difficult to sleep during the last trimester for the usual discomfort in all sleeping positions. When the baby moves deep into the pelvis then it becomes a bit painful for the mother. The experience of sleeplessness is different in all women. Some women do not have pain and may be active and energetic throughout the day and yet cannot sleep at night.
Some women are unable to sleep because of cramps and pain in the back or abdomen. According to ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, these are indications of the pre-labor stage and the body is preparing for delivery. But it may not result in labor for another couple of weeks.
There have been cases when pre-labor even in the second delivery started a couple of weeks prior to the due date, but this is uncommon. Heat packs can help relieve some pain and discomfort in the back. If the due date is still far off, then a few therapy sessions for treating insomnia can be an option. Interestingly, just before active labor, pregnant women may get a good night's sleep after long nights of insomnia.
13 Mom-To-Be Acne Break Outs
Many women may not know this, but even acne during the last few days could be a sign that labor is going to start soon, according to wizzely.com. Acne can be the result of excess hormones. Even women who might have experienced a clear face throughout pregnancy can suddenly find themselves breaking out with acne before labor without any change of cosmetics, soaps, or even eating habits.
Some women get pimples throughout pregnancy, but in their third trimester, the face clears, and just before labor, it erupts badly into acne. However, every woman has their own unique experiences with pregnancy. Women who get acne only near term may indicate preparation for labor in the body is underway.
12 There's Less Pressure On The Lungs
When the baby gets into position for labor, his or her head settles near the entrance of the womb. Once the head moves down deeper, there is less pressure on the diaphragm and the mama can breathe easier. According to bellybelly.com.au, this is also referred to as lightening, and some people even say that the baby's head is engaged.
Again, not all women notice the baby dropping, but that is an early signal that the baby is ready to come out. But this indication cannot help in predicting the onset of labor. Baby dropping usually happens a few weeks before the due date or even earlier in the first pregnancy. In subsequent pregnancies, lightening or baby dropping happens only a few hours before the labor starts.
11 Mom-To-Be's Appetite Decreases
During the first stage of labor, the cervix starts to open up and dilate. Many women do not feel anything when the cervix starts thinning and the real labor may start days after. During these changes, a woman may feel weird and may also lose her appetite, according to wizzley.com.
In this stage of pre-labor, even though some women do not feel any changes happening inside the body, some things like a loss of appetite before labor may be indicating the onset of the first stage of labor. As active labor starts, almost every woman loses her appetite. Active labor drains all the energy and it is not easy to eat anything during that time, even if one feels like eating, as the body may not accept food, and the woman will throw up everything eaten. Furthermore, others may experience an increased appetite before labor.
10 Mom-To-Be Feel Nauseous Or Starts Vomiting
Vomiting is a common thing during active labor, but if a woman is throwing up when not in labor it means she might be in pre-labor. Food that is heavy on the stomach may be difficult to digest, as the digestion process slows down during the early stages of labor.
During this stage, light foods should be eaten. This will bring down nausea. It is equally important to keep up the strength and energy levels of the body during pre-labor as the woman will become exhausted and cannot eat anything when the labor begins. The preparatory labor can last for hours or a couple of days and even weeks sometimes.
9 Suddenly Mom-To-Be Is Full Of Energy
Just before the labor starts, the mother goes through something called 'nesting instinct.' Nesting instinct happens in all mammals and is when they have an urge to prepare a home for the coming baby. A mother may start nesting fairly early in her pregnancy, but this feeling is the strongest just before labor.
During the last couple of weeks before the due date, a pregnant woman gets an adrenaline rush and wants to complete a number of tasks. Since a mother does not really need to prepare a nest or house for the baby, she can utilize this energy in preparing for the birth. Packing things that might be needed during labor or stocking up food in the refrigerator, getting important things needed immediately after labor may be helpful at this time.
Some mothers may just clean up all the rooms, garage, and closets when they get a sudden gush of energy. But this could also just be something that happens when one gets a good night of sleep as well.
8 The Body Starts Swelling
Weeks before labor starts, the body knows that the mother will have a lot of blood loss while delivering the baby. So what it does is it starts storing the blood in tissue, which increases the blood volume in the body. That is the reason the body swells up a few weeks before labor. Swelling could be mild or moderate.
Blood pressure naturally goes up a bit. Swelling on the feet is common in all women in the third trimester, but swelling specifically in the hands and face happens during the last few days near the due date is a sign of pre-labor. Even though the body is preparing for labor this does not mean active labor is going to start soon. It could be days or weeks.
Remember if something feels wrong and there are other symptoms along with high blood pressure, such as weight gain or headache, then it could be a sign of preeclampsia too, according to tommys.org. If that happens, it is best for a pregnant woman to see her doctor.
7 Shivering And Shaking
According to bellybelly.com.au, some women start to shiver when their labor is near. Even though they are not particularly feeling cold they start trembling. A majority of women shiver immediately after birth, but only a few experience it before labor also. Shivering of the body is nothing to worry about though. The body tries to release some stress and it goes back to normal in a few minutes. In case, this happens because of any anxiety or fear a woman might be having when she thinks about going into labor, and she should talk to her healthcare team.
Talking about the labor pains with the obstetrician may help reduce the fear. One way to get relief from trembling is to put on soothing music and sit with eyes closed. A few deep breaths for 5 to 10 minutes may also help to feel relaxed. Warming up the hands by rubbing and holding them for a few minutes is another trick. In case nothing is helping, then a warm shower will stop the shivers.
6 Shedding Some Pounds
Either there is no further weight gain or the lady loses some weight. This should not be a sign of concern as it is normal to lose a few pounds during the last few weeks of pregnancy, according to wizzley.com. Women should not panic about the safety of the baby. The baby is still getting all the nutrition it needs, even though the mother has stopped gaining weight or started losing a little.
The main reason for weight loss is due to the loss of water that was retained in the body during pregnancy. The frequent toilet trips and the sudden nesting instinct may also cause the woman to lose a bit of weight. This is a normal sign of the body preparing for labor. When there are symptoms like these, labor may be near so pregnant women should start learning some relaxation techniques that will be helpful during labor. Many women have reported weight loss near their due date.
5 The Breast Leaks
The thick milky liquid seeping out of the breasts called colostrum or the first baby food can start dripping from the nipples even before labor. So if a woman finds herself wondering "does leaking colostrum mean labor is close," and the answer is yes.
Most women get leaky only after childbirth, but it can start a few before the labor, according to news-medical.net.
Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that some women have trickling breasts even during the second trimester, but it does not indicate anything. These signs, if they appear suddenly shortly before the due date, then they may be linked to changes in the body for labor preparations.
If the nipples leak during intimate stimulation, however, it may not be a sign of pre-labor but it may help in expediting the labor process. It is a good time to get a few nursing bras and absorbent inserts. Sore nipples and congestion can also be a sign of labor. Some women might even feel breast pain before labor.
4 Pets Behave Strangely
This is for the ladies who own a dog. Surprising but true! Dogs get some inkling feeling if the lady of the house will go into labor soon. They show these signs by moving around the pregnant woman more than usual just around the due date. They really virtually become shadows, as if trying to protect or signal the woman a couple of days in advance.
Now the question is when the woman herself is unaware, then how come the canines know? Many women have reported that the night before labor began, their dogs didn’t leave their side. The science behind this is unknown, but it is believed that they might know from the different scent from the woman or they can make out the physical changes happening in the woman, according to animals.howstuffworks.com. But whatever the reason, it can be a good sign for the pregnant lady to get prepared and make sure that everything is ready for the trip to the hospital.
3 Backache
Sometimes, women experience a metallic taste in their mouths when they are pregnant. That may or may not be a sign that labor is not far off. Nevertheless, there are still some other things that a woman might suddenly start experiencing when she is about to have a baby.
According to askdrsears.com, one of the things that pregnant women sometimes go through when labor is just around the corner is some very uncomfortable back pain. These pains are usually in their lower backs.
In addition, women who are about to give birth might feel some discomfort in their pelvic regions as well. However, not all women will experience the same things when they are about to go into labor.
2 Loss Of The Mucus Plug
The mucus plug is a blob-like substance that is grey in color. It feels almost like nasal mucus. This plug protects the uterus from infections by keeping the cervix closed. Some women might not even notice this expulsion happened but there are some women who notice when this happens.
When the plug is expelled it means that the cervix has started dilating, but it may still take a few weeks for this process to transition from pre-labor to labor.
During pre-labor it is said that the cervix dilates about 3 to 4 centimeters. It also starts effacing or thinning. Mostly, the cervix is dilated about 50 percent before real labor contractions start. Also, according to winchesterhospital.org, when a woman has dilated 100%, she is ready for a vaginal delivery.
1 Commonly Known Signs Of Oncoming Labor
Braxton Hicks contractions, water breaking, and stringy, bloody show are commonly known and definitive signs that indicate true labor might start soon, but how soon cannot be predicted. Braxton Hicks are painful contractions of the uterus that may not be an indication of active labor, but it is a sign that the uterus is preparing for actual contractions.
These contractions are different from labor contractions as they are irregular and stay for some time. That is the reason they are also known as false labor or false pains, according to webmd.com.
The water breaking is a sure sign of labor that may start in a few hours. If it doesn’t, then a doctor should be consulted immediately because without the amniotic fluid the baby is in danger of being open to infection.
Some women may go into labor shortly after they notice extra vaginal discharge. It’s good to know what some of the signs are, but each woman is different, and no two women will experience exactly the same thing.
Sources: Healthline, Bellybelly.com.au, NCBI, Wizzely, Tommy's, News Medical Life Sciences, Howstuffworks, Ask DrSears, Winchester Hospital, WebMD