When you are pregnant you know when it’s time to have your baby. At least, this is what people say, but not all women experience the most common tell-tale signs of entering labor. Some women lose their mucus plug, other don’t. And the examples can continue. How do you know when it’s time to go to the hospital to give birth? The timing is very important, as some women come to hospital when they experience Braxton Hicks contractions. Knowing how to make the difference between a false alarm and the real thing is very important, so here are some signs you should head to the hospital.
Shivering
Movies don’t show pregnant women shivering, so you might not know that this is a sign of entering labor. If you start shivering really bad, you need to go to the hospital right away. Intense, full body shivering is caused by a mix of adrenaline, hormones and temperature. They don’t go away if you wrap a blanket around yourself, so don’t ignore this symptom.
Continuous Braxton Hicks contractions
As every pregnant woman knows, Braxton Hicks contractions are fake alarm. As you will learn from official Sheba website, most of the times they are light and short-lasting. But if the contractions are regular and frequent, it might be a sign of entering labor. Count the length of each contraction and how frequent they are. If they last 30 seconds and there are four minutes or less apart, it’s time to go to the hospital. Another way to tell if your contractions are Braxton Hicks or the real thing is talking. If you are able to talk during the contraction, they are fake. If not, they are real contractions, which show up before labor.
Extreme nesting
Birds are not the only creatures on earth to nest; humans and pigs also do this. During pregnancy, the two parents feel the need to prepare themselves and their home for the baby. This is normal and is called nesting. If the expecting mother feels the urge to scrub the entire house again, it might be a sign of entering labor. Few people know that extreme nesting happens in the day of entering labor.
Bowel movements
Pregnancy is filled with unpleasant moments and some of the most well-known symptoms are a weak bladder and bowel movement issues, like constipation or diarrhea.
The media is talking about pooping during childbirth, but no one talks about pooping before childbirth. Diarrhea and cramps are common signs that you are entering labor, especially if they are very frequent.
Another sign of entering labor is feeling a continuous leak, which means your water just broke. This doesn’t happen in a waterfall-like style, but it’s more like a long pee. To make sure you are not just peeing yourself, try to do a Kegel; if you can make the leak stop, it’s just pee. If not, grab the baby bag and go to the hospital.
Pregnancy is hard, painful and often the opposite of glam, but it all ends with a baby, a small creature who will become the person the woman will love more than anyone else.