After nine months of pregnancy, the aches and pains and food restrictions can get a little old. As much as a mom enjoys feeling the baby move around inside of her, most just can't wait for their pregnancy to be over so that they can meet their little one in person and no longer have to deal with all the issues that come with pregnancy.

Unfortunately, figuring out when the time will come can be pretty difficult. A mom might circle her due date on the calendar the moment she finds out she is pregnant, but the calendar can be deceiving. Instead, the body will tell her when it's time if only she can recognize when the pregnancy is nearing the end.

There are some physical signs that only moms notice, things only she will feel when it's time. And sometimes friends and strangers might pick up on clues when the baby bump drops. We know that some women are just done about 38 weeks into the whole thing, so we have a guide that might help her anticipate when labor is approaching.

For all those moms-to-be who can't wait until their pregnancy is finally over, here are 20 sure signs that mean it's the end.

20 Due Date Decisions

Pregnancy will soon be over, but it's not necessarily true. Very few babies come on the date that doctors have determined as the due date — a good percentage come earlier and a big amount come later than it. But the due date might have something to do with decisions the doctors could make involving any complications.

For example, the risk of stillbirth increases closer to the due date for women who have conditions such as gestational diabetes, so doctors will recommend that induction happens at 39 weeks. The due date might not be the day that the birth happens, but it will help dictate some decisions.

19 Belly Drops

There are some signs toward the end of pregnancy that only the mom might pick up on when labor is imminent, but there are also a few that other people might notice. Lots of grandmas like to point out when they think a mom-to-be's belly has dropped since it can signal that the pregnancy is almost over.

Some people might not really notice, but when the baby starts to move closer to the birth canal, the baby bump can shift lower down on the abdomen. The belly can drop a few weeks before the birth, or it might happen the same day. But it is a surefire way to tell that the body is getting ready for the delivery.

18 Last Minute Gaining

For months, a mom gains size during her pregnant. But most of the time, that happens gradually. Some moms only gain a couple of pounds a month, although toward the end it might be a pound or two a week. But if the mom starts to gain a lot of weight in a very short period of time, that means that pregnancy is coming to an end, as a really severe complication is happening.

Sudden weight gain of five pounds or more in a week is a sign that the mom has preeclampsia, a complication that can cause the mother's organs to shut down. There is no cure for preeclampsia other than to deliver the baby. Sometimes doctors choose to try to induce labor to allow for a natural delivery, but in some severe cases, the baby might have to be delivered right away via C-section to save both the mom's and the baby's life. It can happen really quickly if mom is diagnosed with this serious complication.

17 Mom's Fluids Provides A Clue

This is a system that only the mom is likely to see, and some women never pick up on it. But the discharge that happens out of the area down below can reveal a lot about a woman's health, whether she is pregnant or not. The fluid-like substance changes throughout the nine months of pregnancy, and it might reveal that the pregnancy is near an end.

The discharge can get pretty thick as the body gets ready for delivery. That's normal, although if it shows signs of infection then it's best to consult the doctor right away. Some moms might not even notice, but for others, it can be a big signal that contractions might start soon.

16 Looking For A Pattern

A sign that the baby is on the way. But the truth is that there are many times when contractions don't signal anything at all. Many women, especially second-time moms, feel Braxton Hicks contractions, which are not very painful and they are not part of actual labor. In fact, they can come as early as the second trimester.

The trick for women is to look for a pattern to their contractions. With false labor, the contractions can come at sporadic times. One might be five minutes later and the next 20 minutes later and then 10 minutes later and so on. But if the contractions come at consistent intervals, even if that is 20 minutes apart, that is a sign that the labor is beginning and the pregnancy will soon be over.

15 Baby Is Head Down

This sign can come pretty early in some pregnancies, but for some,e it is a really big deal. Throughout pregnancy, the baby will move around a lot in the uterus, but toward the end, there isn't a lot of space for moving around. The doctor will check in the third trimester to see if the baby is head down since that means he's getting into position for the birth.

Most babies get into the head down position naturally, but some may not. With so little room in the last couple of months, moms should try to do what they can to convince him to shift that way — some doctors recommend elevating the pelvis, trying sounds or smells or other means. Eventually, the doctor might try an external version, which might cause the labor to begin. Or he might recommend scheduling a C-section, at which point the doctor and the mom decide when the pregnancy will end.

14 Blood Pressure Skyrockets

There are a lot of symptoms that could show that the mom's health isn't the best at the end of pregnancy. One of the biggest predictors is blood pressure. Some women deal with elevated blood pressure for months, and that might require bed rest. But if it goes up in the last several weeks, especially if it happens fast, then that means that the pregnancy needs to come to an end quickly.

If the blood pressure spikes, that might mean that the mom has preeclampsia, and it is best for the mom and the baby if the delivery comes right away. It's time for the pregnancy to end, as childbirth is the best thing that can happen to ensure the mom's and the baby's health.

13 Water Breaks

One huge signal that the baby is on his way is when the water breaks. But it's a little more complicated than a mom might think. For one, most of the time the water doesn't break until well into the labor, and there is no way to predict when it happens. Sometimes it surprises moms out of nowhere without a contraction in sight, but other times the water doesn't break until the doctor does it — rarely, that can happen after the birth.

Because of the risk of infection, doctors do all that they can to ensure that the baby is delivered within 24 hours of the water breaking. There are some exceptions if it happens very prematurely, but most of the time, when the water breaks, the pregnancy will come to an end soon.

12 Waddling Gets Worse

Pregnancy can make it really difficult to walk. Most women are OK for the first two trimesters, but in the third trimester, the baby bump can make it hard to move very much, including walking normally. Many women develop a kind of a waddle, like a penguin because of the pressure on their pelvis.

But it can be a signal that the pregnancy is about to end when the waddle starts to get worse. It happens when the baby drops and is sitting even more on the pelvis. It can feel like a bowling ball sitting there, but luckily it's usually not very long before labor begins and the baby is born.

11 A Pain In The Back

The big baby bump can also cause moms to suffer through back aches for pretty much the entire third trimester. But there are some pains in the back that might signal that the end is near. Some women suffer from back labor, which doesn't feel like contractions exactly but it might be a new pain that moms notice that could signal early labor.

In addition, the back might help a mom figure out if her contractions are false labor. True labor contractions can start in the back and move toward the front like the uterus is being squeezed. So moms should pay attention to new pains in the back to figure out if the end of pregnancy is upon them.

10 Itchy Situation

With the skin stretching as the baby bump grows, a little bit of itching can be a part of pregnancy, but in the extreme, it might be an indication that the birth needs to happen soon. Itchy rashes might happen during pregnancy, and they can be a sign of an allergic reaction or something more serious, so moms with those symptoms should talk to the doctor.

But without a rash, severe itching might indicate cholestasis of pregnancy, which means that the liver isn't working properly. If the itching starts early in the pregnancy, the mom might have to deal with it until the baby gets closer to full term. But there are risks for the mom and the baby, so the doctor might recommend delivering earlier that mom expects.

9 Starting To Dilate

After the mom reaches 37 weeks, her doctor is going to want to check her every week to see if her cervix is starting to change. It can take a while, but the cervix will start to thin out — a process called effacement — sometimes a few weeks before labor begins. And some women walk into the doctor's office and find out that their cervix has already dilated a couple of centimetres without any contractions.

While the beginning of cervical changes can be exciting, it might still be a little while until labor begins. The dilation usually begins earlier for experienced moms, but their body still has a lot of work to do before the birth.

8 Breathing Easier

Having a baby can make it hard even to catch your breath. While the baby might be in the uterus in the abdomen, as it grows, it squishes just about everything. The other organs have to move around to make room, and in the third trimester, the diaphragm can be pushed up into the lungs, which makes moms-to-be lose their breath quicker.

But when the baby starts to drop into the birth canal, there is less pressure on the diaphragm and the lungs. Moms can finally feel like they are getting more air into their lungs. That can happen just a few days before labor kicks in and the baby is on his way.

7 The Plug Comes Out

There is a big wad of goo that is in the cervix to keep it plugged up to keep the baby from getting an infection. And when that mucus plug comes out, that means that the labor is coming soon. Sometimes it comes out slowly in the form of thick discharge, but sometimes it's a bit bloody. Moms shouldn't be alarmed — it's a sign that childbirth is imminent.

Many women miss the signs of the mucus plug, and others might get overly excited. But while it does mean that the body is getting ready to give birth, it doesn't mean that the baby will be born the next day. The mucus plug can come out a few weeks before the actual birth, but it does mean that you are nearing the end.

6 Bathroom Clue

We've talked about things that moms can see in the bathroom that might signal the baby is coming soon. But there is another that might cause her to run to the restroom. It's a natural process that moms will be thankful for later, but they might not in the moment.

Just a few days before giving birth, many women experience diarrhea. It's nature's way of cleaning out the colon so that the mom doesn't end up pooping as much on the delivery bed as she would if she was full. Some women fear going during the delivery, so they should be thankful when it comes beforehand.

5 Doctor's Test Can Help

Unless doctor's use induction meds, it's hard to predict when a pregnancy might come to an end. Some babies are premature, while others come past their due date, and even with a lot of research into the topic, doctors often can't tell why that happens. But a new breakthrough has revealed a test that might determine if the baby could come early.

At times it can be hard to figure out if a woman's water has broken or if it is a bathroom accident or something. But the doctor can get a swab and find out if there are traces of amniotic fluid. The swab can also show if there are signs that labor is going to happen in the next few days. That can give a lot of women some peace of mind.

4 The Nesting Instinct

Many women experience ups and downs in their energy levels during pregnancy. The hormone fluctuations, in the beginning, can be really draining, although most women get more energy in the second trimester. At the end, it's possible that a surge in energy could be a cue that labor is imminent.

Most of the time, that energy boost comes along with an instinct to clean the house and get everything ready for the baby. It's helpful, especially since some women can struggle to get through the day. There could be days or even weeks ahead, but the end is drawing near.

3 Severe Swelling

Another sign of the complication of preeclampsia is severe water retention. While a lot of women suffer from swollen legs and feet in the final weeks of pregnancy, the severe cases need to be brought to the doctor's attention because it could mean that the mom's body is in danger.

Severe swelling can happen all over, and it's one of the reasons that the mom's weight might jump more than five pounds in a week. It's dangerous, and the baby will likely need to be delivered really quickly to save the mom and her little one.

2 Doctor Puts It On The Schedule

Most of the time, as the due date approaches, a woman will wait on labor to begin with no idea of the baby's birthday. But there are times when women will know the end of pregnancy is drawing near because the doctor has put it on the schedule.

While there is some controversy about the use of induction medications, there are a lot of good reasons to put the birth on a schedule. Doctors carefully weigh the risks of delaying the delivery before recommending the method, but with conditions from gestational diabetes to preeclampsia or high blood pressure, the baby's health and the mother's can be in jeopardy. Some situations require a planned C-section too. But even with the delivery on the schedule, labor could start earlier and change all of the plans.

1 Contractions Kick Into High Gear

Many women might rejoice at the first contraction, thinking that it means that the baby will arrive within a few hours. But the truth is that it could still be a few days. Many women can deal with contractions for 48 or 72 hours in the early stages of labor. Sometimes labor stops and doesn't begin again for a week.

Instead, the true sign that the baby will be there soon comes when the contractions kick into high gear. The active labor stage tends to go quicker, although it could still take 12 hours or so for the cervix to progress from 4 to 7 centimeters. Things go a lot quicker during the transition stage, where it continues all the way to 10 centimeters sometimes in an hour or two, although sometimes the pushing stage can take another few hours. Eventually, though, the pregnancy will end and the baby will arrive and be placed in his mother's arms.

References: My Natural Baby Birth, American Pregnancy, India Times