What does labor feel like? How do you know when it's time to go to the hospital?
So... Ever since my doctor told me on Monday that I was 2cm dilated, I've been more than paranoid at every little pain. Let's just say that the thought, 'Oh my god, it's time!' has crossed my mind more than once over the past couple days. I called the L&D unit at my hospital on Tuesday because I started feeling menstrual like cramps. They weren't much help... I barely got out my first sentence before they told me not to come in. They proceeded to hang up on me. It must have been a busy night...
I have googled labor symptoms countless times and it all says the same thing... 'When your contractions are 5 minutes apart...' Well, that's all well and good for most women I'm sure. However, I have the attention span of a fish and the memory of... Well... Whatever the opposite of an elephant is. I can look at the clock when I have one pain (Though I won't remember to look when the pain starts... I usually don't remember until 10 seconds into the pain), but I won't remember to look again until 2 or 3 pains later. Also, since there are multiple different pains I don't know if I am supposed to time the time between every pain even if the pains are different... Or if I am supposed to time the time between every pain that is the same as a previous pain.
So anyways, I thought that you ladies might have a little more insight on when I should go to the hospital. Also note, that I live 45 minutes away from the hospital with little to no traffic.
I've been feeling Braxton Hicks contractions AT LEAST every 10 minutes (Sometimes more) for the past week/week and a half. Atleast, I think that they are Braxton Hicks contractions. Most of them don't hurt, and the ones that do hurt are only a 1 or 2 on a scale of 10 (10 being the most painful). They sometimes feel like my baby is trying to push his way out of my stomach, sometimes they just feel like my stomach tightening, and sometimes I don't even realize I am having them until I press on my stomach and notice that it is hard. During every Braxton Hick contraction my stomach is hard.
I have been feeling menstrual like cramps since early Monday morning while I was in the waiting room at my doctor's office (Before they did the internal and told me that I was 2cm dilated). Sometimes these cramps are dull and barely noticeable (About a 1 or 2 on a scale of 10), and sometimes they are a little more painful (About a 3 or 4 on a scale of 10). Some days I feel these pains about every half hour, and some days I only feel them every other hour. My stomach is not hard during these pains. Can your stomach remain soft during a contraction?
I have had a constant low backache throughout this entire pregnancy. However, lately there will be moments where it will go from a 1 or 2 on my scale of 10 to 5 or 6. It will stay at a 5 or 6 for a few seconds (10 seconds maximum) and then go back to a dull pain. It sort of feels like my baby has his feet pressed against my back, his hands pressed against my stomach, and is pushing with all his might. I only feel those pains once or twice a day.
Sometimes I will also feel this intense stabbing like pain in my lower right abdomen. I usually feel this pain while I am moving from a sitting position into a lying position or when I am moving from side to side while lying down. It is very intense and forces me to stop all movement. I would say that it is a 5 or 6... Maybe a 7.
There will also be times during the day where it will feel as though some one is stabbing a knife into my pelvic floor. The feeling only lasts for a few seconds, and I would rate it a 4 or 5.
For the past couple of days I have been feeling very nauseous. I have been going number 2 more often, though I wouldn't say that it is diarrhea. I have been feeling very hot all the time, when I normally feel very cold all the time.
I really don't want to drive all the way to the hospital every time I feel a little paranoid that 'It's time!'. I have a horrible fear of driving all the way there, only to be turned away because I haven't progressed any farther and that all these pains are in my head. I have been telling myself that when it's really time, I'll know. I mean... Who can not know they are in labor, right? However, I have another horrible fear and that is the fear that I really won't know I am in labor or I won't realize it in time. I don't want to end up having my baby on the side of the road in the backseat of my car... Or at my house in the bathroom thinking that I'm just having a really bad bowel movement only to discover that I was having my baby.
So... When did you know for sure that it was time to go to the hospital? When did you know for sure that you were in labor? Are any of my pains something that I should call L&D about, or are they normal pains?
Thanks so much for the help! I'm still not completely convinced that I'll "just know", but you all know more than I do since you've been through this before so... I trust you :)
You will know, it does not feel like anything else. Once mine were about 4 min apart I also started bleeding some, so I knew it was time, but at that point I was 42 weeks along and was supposed to go in that morning for an induction anyway!
With my first pregnancy I also wondered how I'd know I was in labor and everyone would tell me I would just know (as many of the ladies below said also) and they were so right! You'll know - for me it felt like extremely horrible cramps - cramps that were so intense I was unable to move thru them - I would just hold my breath and squeeze something (my husband's hand or the bed rail at the hospital) until they'd pass.
You will know when it is time. I was 90% effaced and 3-4 cm for 3 weeks before my son was born. I SO badly wanted to have him, but man when you contract "for real" (even though those Braxton Hicks are doing some work), you will know! The pain is like nothing you have ever experienced before. Just relax and know that when it is time, you will know!
When you think for sure you're about to sh!t out a pumpkin. That's about the time to go to the hospital....then you'll have lots of time ahead of you to enjoy the drugs. GL!
No one can tell you what it feels like because its different for everyone and different every time. With my first I was in tears because my back hurt so bad it was constant pain no breaks for 2.5 hrs and 2 pushes with my second I did not have real pain I had a tremendous amount of pressure and when I did get a contraction I was able to talk right through it. My ob was surprised when ER called to tell her I delivered in triage bc when I talked to her on the phone from my house she said I sounded very calm and not in pain and she told me to come in anyways the worst that would happen was they'd send me home. You will know when its time so for now just try to relax and get as much rest as you can.
With my second child, I was in total denial that I was in labor because the contractions were completely irregular (even up until he was born). Two hours after they started and bloody pee is when I called the Dr. When he heard about the blood, he knew for sure. Problem is, I don't know if that happens to everyone so that may not be definite. I also felt like I had to poop with both. It may feel like lower back pain.
With my first, I knew for sure when my water sprang a leak (had to break it later since it never fully did). Never did break with the 2nd; I had them break it to speed things along.
Sorry this probably wasn't much help. I really think it varies for everyone. I think your pains sound pretty normal. Much of it is probably the baby stretching. It sounds like you're getting close though. And although it's not always the case, you probably have plenty of time to get to the hospital.
Oh, and a tip - unlike all the birthing women on TV, don't scream or yell during your labor. Try it now, and feel how your abdomen tenses up and tenses up the birth canal. Now try moaning or "ohm"-ing or a similar noise. Feel how it's relaxing and sort of opens you up. The more tense you are and more resistant you are, the more likely that you won't progress and will end up getting induced. If I had a hospital birth, I totally would have been induced and most likely had an emergency C-section. I was totally not progressing because I was super stressed. I had my chiropractor come to the house. He did some acupuncture; it made all the difference in my progression. The doctor and nurse were amazed.
Good luck.
Too many lengthy answers for me to read through, so sorry if I am repeating (or the repeating may reinforce a point for you).
No matter what you MUST GO when your water breaks. When your water breaks, the baby's environment is no longer sterile and s/he may come anytime. Mine broke when I went pee and it didn't stop even after I 'squeezed it out,' if that makes sense.
You will KNOW when you are having real, hard contractions every 5-7 minutes. I don't see how you couldn't. You probably won't even need to time it.
All that said (and whatever everyone else says), remember every PERSON, every PREGNANCY, every LABOR, every BABY is a DIFFERENT experience!!! What may have happened to me may not happen to you ~ or even to me the next time for that matter!
God bless you and your little blessing! Please keep us informed when you have your baby!
This sounds like a post that I could have written before I had my first child. Here is what helped me to remember. (Sorry, I'm giving advice that you didn't really ask for...it was so helpful to me I want to pass it on!)
- You will know when you are in labor. It is a feeling as old as the earth and your body knows how and what is going on. Take it easy, try to be still and listen to what you already know. Sometimes our brains are so active that we can't hear or be present with our process.
- There is nothing that is going to happen that you are not going to be able to handle. It will start when it's meant to and will end when it's time.
- Trust your body. Trust in yourself and the millions of women who have given birth in before you. It's a natural, beautiful, epic experience and will blow your/my mind!
- The more you stay in your head, resist the "pain", push it along or try to control it in any way, the longer it is going to take.
- That said, if you want your kiddo out sooner do a lot of nipple stimulation and have lots and lots of orgasmic sex.
Good luck and Congratulations on your coming child! You will be great!!!!!
You will know. Your stomach will get as hard as a rock, thats the labor cramp. It will subside and then it will do it again. Thats when you start timing the "cramps". Just remember, you will get all hard and it takes every bit of strength you have just to stand up until it passes. It is just an overall tightness of your belly as your uterine muscle is beginning the process of pushing the baby down and getting it into position for exit.
Well hopefully for you someone else will be timing your contractions. And seriously is someone else driving you to the hospital???!!! I know it os super annoying but there is no mistaking labor once it starts. You will feel regular STRONG the strongest ever menstrual like cramps that make your stomach go hard. By the time you are 5-6 cm they will be very close together and you will be in agony and unable to talk or walk during a contraction after that you might begin to throw up or beg for drugs. The reason the hospital hung up on you is because you could talk. Most experienced labor nurses can tell by talking to you if you are in labor. I notice you use the number pain scale well you will be in an 8-10 zone.
The chances of you delivering on the side of the road are very slim like 0.
Good luck
It's normal to have all of these thoughts and fears the first time you have a baby. I'm sorry your L&D dept is unhelpful and that you seem like you don't feel like you can talk to your OB. This is their job to answer all these questions--they are getting paid for it and you should NEVER feel like you can't call your OB 'after hours' and have them paged if you are worried or concerned. There are no dumb questions!
As for labor, hmmm. I can tell you with almost 100% certainty that you will not wait too long to go to the hospital and find a head between your legs when you go to the bathroom! Any woman who has ever had a baby will back me up on this--it just doesn't happen with first time babies and rarely with second ones. You should be so lucky to have a labor that unnoticable!! ;D The last poster was right in that "you will know" because when your contractions are very close and intense and you are getting close to needing to go to the hospital, you will be unable to hold a conversation anymore. That is a great way to know when to head for the hospital--even if you live 45 min away in no traffic/good weather. You absolutely do NOT want to get to the hospital early. Think how unhelpful the L&D dept was over the phone--imagine you're in there in early labor and they know it's probably gonna be several hours before you deliver! All you do in that time is worry, be very uncomfortable and get treated like you have a dangerous medical condition which scares you out of your mind. Please wait as long as possible to go to the hospital. The longer you stay home the longer you can be comfortable and not hooked up to machines which might drive you nuts. NOW, if you are the type of person who feels safer in the hospital and all that stuff gives you peace of mind, then it's probably not so bad to go a bit early. It depends on the kind of person you are and what makes you feel happy, safe and secure.
Also, I hope you aren't afraid of having horrible stomach pain now--labor felt nothing like that for me. It was all in my uterus and pelvis and lower back. It's like intense tightening or intense menstral cramps but they come in spurts that you can handle because of the breaks in between. It hurts and it's hard work but it's temporary and doable. You can do it and you'll be OK. It's a REALLY intense version of your Braxton Hicks that is unmistakable.
If you're already having back pain consider laboring on your hands and knees as much as possible before pushing in order to relieve the pressure on your coccyx/lower back. It might feel good to rock back and forth, too--just listen to your body. If you are having back labor, laying on your back is going to be agony. Avoid it if you can. Even lay on your side.
By the way, you might as well know that 2cm dilated means absolutely nothing. You can be 2 cm dilated and still have a month to go! These exams really play with your head and give you false expectations. Dilation and effacement are NO indication of when you will go into labor. Nobody can tell you that--nobody knows!
The hot and cold feelings sound hormonal although I am no doctor. Also, I have always been the kind of woman who has momentary stabbing pains low in her pelvis around the time of my period and at times when I am pregnant. It could just be the baby kicking or sitting on your bladder or some other part of your guts/pelvis. Not sure that it's abnormal. I get the stabbing pain on one side of the abdomen when I suddenly move, too. I believe those are just your round ligaments stretching. Normal also. You have a baby in your body--your guts are sharing a lot of space and it's normal to have all kinds of bizarre and odd sensations. They continue for weeks (to a lesser extent) after you give birth, too. I always assumed it was all my guts shifting back into place after the baby moved out! LOL It's quite an adjustment when you think about it.
Things have gotten tight in there. You could have another week or you could go into labor tomorrow. Your body is doing amazing things and it's acting weird for good reason--I'm sorry you are so anxious. Have you tried praying? You really need to relax and try to ease your mind. You are going to be fine. Call your OB's office and have them paged to answer your questions if that is the only way you are going to get some sleep sweetie. You can message me if you want to as well. Take care and God bless! May you have a beautiful, safe and healthy labor and birth. :D
Real contractions are painful , to the point where you need to stop whatever it is you are doing and breathe your way through it , they keep coming getting more painful and lasting longer , this next sentence is so annoying but you will know when you are in real labor. As for the timing , well once you have noticed that the pains are not letting up , then you would start timing them , look at the clock to see what time it was (does not have to be exact) but for example 11.15 , then when the next one starts look at the clock again , if it is 11.20 and so on like that for an hour then yes you are likely in labor and your contractions are every 5 mins , as time goes on they will be more frequent and last at least 1 minute , to the point where at the very end of labor you basically have no gaps in between the contractions.
Good luck I hope this helped (oh and it is not uncommon to walk around for a couple of weeks 2cm dilated).
It feels tight....and strong.
Very hard to explain...but you do get a feeling, and then you will know!
~Do not let the nurses on the phone dictate anything to you...all of us are different, and some of us are lucky enough to have very quick labor, me being one of them and all 3 times I had kids and was at the hospital I got condescending looks from the nurses and told by more than one, each time, that I had lots of time and that I wasn't any where near being ready...I can assure you that they each felt stupid and apologized profusely as they were scrambling around trying to get things ready.
What I am trying to say is trust yourself, not the nurses on the other end of the phone...you will know, our bodies make sure of it!
I had braxont hicks for the last third trimester. It sucked. Then two weeks before my son was born I had intense, lay on the couch and do nothing type pain. My doctor and a friend of mine who is a nurse just told me the rule of 5 minutes a part then go it. I also was still at 2 cm so I had a ways to go. Then 3 days before I was getting closer and closer together but very sparatic. I went in at night and they checked me and still at a 2. Went in again the night before and same thing but at an almost 3. So once I left the hospital I had intense HORRIBLE pain 3 minutes a part. I went home and tried to sleep (the nurse gave me some pain pill to try so that I could get some sleep) I did sleep . . . sort of. Every 5 minutes I would wake up and scream into my pillow with how much it hurt. Finally when my parents woke up (I'm a single mom still living with them, lame I know) and my mom insisted that I called my doctor and go it. So I went in and got checked and was sent immediately over to the hospital since I was at an 8.
My first child was induced...so I got to experience going into labor on my own with my second child. i had contractions for days that would be about 7 minutes apart, but not get any closer or more intense...and I kept wondering when they were going to kick in.
Turns out my water broke around noon...I questioned if it was my water breaking but decided without any contractions and an appointment the next day I would just stay home and see...
Went out to dinner with my girlfriends...started having same old annoying contractions every 7 minutes or so...ate dinner, went to a big book store with friends...we were walking around and the contractions seemed to be getting stronger and finally I would stop talking when having one...they were 2 to 3 minutes a part at this point and my girlfriends suggested maybe we should go get you checked out. I balked because I still wasn't sure if it was labor...but let them talk me into going to be checked...we were 30 minutes from hospital.
Triage nurse watched me have a contraction while leaning against wall on my way into L&D...took me straight to room...checked I was 4.5...less than 30 minutes later I received my epidural they checked right after and I was a 10...2 pushes and my sweet daughter was here. Husband and doctor almost missed the birth...they arrived together.
If I had waited, my daughter would have been born in the mystery section of the bookstore or in the back seat of my friend's car.
But it was my second child...so that made it faster...and I didn't want to go to the hospital too soon and get sent home because we were paying out of pocket and well they send you a bill for even a check...so anyways...my story...
HUGS!!
You'll start feeling intense squeezing very very low, and they will gradually get longer and start to hurt worse. You think you wont know, but you will. You wont be able to mistake it. Good luck. Oh, and a good way to know, is if it gets hard to talk while you're having the contractions.
I had regular 10 minute not painful contractions all night. Then my water broke in the morning. Then they progressed to 4 minutes apart and were very painful. When your contractions are regular like 4 minutes apart and painful. You'll know. Best wishes to you!!
My initial thought is you need to try to relax! My labor felt like intense menstrual cramps. No one told me labor could feel like this. It wasn't "pain" it was intense cramps. Time them from beginning of 1 to beginning of the next. My were sporatic...they didn't start at 20 min. apart & gradually decrease to 5 min. apart. Mine were 20, 15, 18, 10, 7, 10, 6...something crazy like that. I was at home alone & progressing very quickly...but I didn't know it (I guess I handle "pain" well). Anyhow, my water broke at home...I called my husband to come home & he called the dr. I was 15 min. from the hospital...the drive was horrible...I couldn't even walk when I had a contraction (I had to stand there bending over until the contraction passed). It was such a weird feeling to literally not be able to walk!! I also threw up at home after my water broke. Anyhow, I got to the hospital maybe 30 min. after my water broke, was already at 7cm...got to 9cm very quickly....squeezed in the epidural (btw, don't get it so late...I got it so late that I couldn't push well & they had to use the vaccuum...no problems there, but it was an unnecessary risk). Nurses were SHOCKED that I arrived at the hospital at 7cm...especially since I appeared calm. They ran around like crazy setting up, frantically called my dr. I was afraid he wouldn't show up in time. So...to sum up...
1) Stomach will be hard during a real contraction.
2) You will not be able to walk during a real contraction...nor talk...nor want to talk
3) You do not know how quickly you'll progress. Maybe make more frequent dr appt's. If you are ever unsure...just go to the hospital. If my son was born at home b/c I left too late (not to scare you), but he would not have made it. The cord was around his neck 3 times, there was meconium in the water. I need dr's! He was fine, but if I let the hospital say "oh, no, you're fine...stay home" but it was really time, things would have been distastrous.
It feels like having diahhreah. That unmistakeable "Gotta get to the bathroom NOW" kind of feeling.The kind you know in your mind you can put off for a few minutes, but OMG... STOMACH!!
It's the EXACT same kind of thing that you can't ignore. Your brain doesn't let you.
That's why people say "You'll know it when you feel it", which is uber-frustrating, isn't it?
My mom told me I was in labor with my first :). I was not sure if they were real or fake, but when I was vomitting and not able to walk, she said for sure I was. So we finished lunch at Olive Garden, went to get my tags for my new vehicle, and walked the mall. Then drove the 30 minutes to the hospital. They sent me home because it was still early labor. But for me once they said "you are in labor" is when I knew it was real. When I went home the pain was intense, but not unbearlble. I stayed in bed and tried to eat dinner...I did not get rest, but I think it was because I, like you, was nervous as all get out. Before I knew it my baby was here and I couldnt tell you exactly what it was like now. You really won't even remember it. And you'll be totally fine!! But congratulations on the new baby coming very soon!!
1 week before my due date i went to my doct. and had been checked to see how dialated i was and i was 2 cm and she told me that probably next week i would have her. well when i went home and peed i noticed some blood on the toilet paper so i thought it was from the exam. i went to work that night and had to sit down all night since i was having some mild back cramps. i then went home and peed again and noticed blood again so i called my mom who is a nurse and she told me that was the mucos plug and that i was going into labor. So me and my husband went to the hospital and i was already having contractions 3 min. apart and already dialated to 3. So they admitted me and of coarse i got the epidural and my water broke at 8 in the morning and had my little girl at 11:52 am. So i wouldnt go unless your contractions are 5 min. apart or less or you start bleeding or your water breaks. if its your first one you usually have time to get to the hospital.
You will know when the labor is real!! :) I walked around for the last 3 weeks of my second pregnancy dialated to 5cm (membrane fullt intact) and still labored for about 4 hours in the hospital before my baby was born. You will know...there will be no questions about it what-so-ever.
I remember what an exciting time this was for us, so just relax and remember that this will all be over very soon. Good luck to you!! :)
Hmm... haven't read your other answers, but in my experience, when it starts feeling like someone is ripping out your stomach through your girl parts using a fish hook, for at least an hour, it's time to go to the hospital!
Just kidding (well, maybe not really).
If I can remember correctly, my husband decided to take me to the hospital using "4-1-1" which was contractions 4 minutes apart, 1 minute long, for 1 hour. He says they taught us this in the childbirth classes, although maybe I don't remember this because I was reading Cosmo the whole class. (I, too, have the attention span of a fish.) There was no way at the time that I could have monitored my own contractions because, like I said, it felt like someone was ripping my insides out through my girl parts with a fish hook. We lived across a major bridge from the hospital (in San Francisco, which has super fun traffic). I went into labor during rush hour on a Friday, and we made it to the hospital in time for me to have an epidural, and then sit there watching Oprah re-runs for 12 hours. Don't worry, YOU'LL KNOW when it's time, and it won't happen all that fast! =)
You should go to the hospital when:
a) your water breaks, or
b) when you can no longer walk and talk during a contraction
... whichever happens first.
Don't worry about not getting there in time unless your hospital is like 4 hours away.
Ok. For me, labor for my second and third babies was obvious. My first, I didn't know what to expect or what I was doing. This is what happened... I was having what I now know are pretty mild contractions every 5 minutes for about 5 hours (about a 5 on the pain level). I could not sleep through them (they started at 2:00 a.m., and I was able to sleep through them until 5:00, then I woke my husband). We went in at about 10:00 a.m. because they were regular, and kinda painful (but not really painful). I was only at MAYBE 2 when I got there and not effaced at all. Because I was 9 days past my due date, they made me stay and pretty much induced me that night after my labor "stalled". In reality, I was in early/prelabor, and should have stayed home! So, if you can walk, talk or follow a conversation, you are probably not at risk of having your baby at home. Once the contractions take all your concentration, then that means you're getting some place and it is time to at least call the doc./midwife and talk it over with them.
My second baby I was having early labor pains (about a 4 on the pain level) every 10 minutes at an appointment (ultrasound - I was 11 post date) at 9:00 in the morning... he came at 9:00 that night. I started having good contractions around 6, and we went in at 7 and I was only at 5 cm. I progressed quickly and he came at 9... I chalk that up to a drug free delivery. My epidural totally slowed stuff down the first time around. My third was much the same.
That said - my SIL was having contractions, went in, and they checked her, and told her she was in early labor and she could go home... but by the time she actually was sent home she was starting to throw up... and feeling crummy (but her contractions were not typical/regular intervals)... the nurse neglected to check her before she left (we now know she was in labor!) and a few hours after she got home her water broke, the rushed the 30 minutes to the hospital and she was at 10 and fully effaced when and my nephew was born 10 minutes later. She said she was trying SO HARD not to push the whole car ride... how horrible.
My point of that second story is, not every labor is the same. Some labors can be productive and not be exactly 5 min. then 3 min, then 2, etc. But, she couldn't talk or walk through her contractions... and in hindsight (if she had a 2nd baby) she would know that they were real, even though they were not "normal" intervals.
Trust yourself, and don't be afraid to call. Someone should help you!
Jessica
You will definitely notice a difference in the contractions and time. My first started out around 4 pm with mild cramping and by 11 pm the cramping/tightening abdomen came and gone every 5 minutes. You may also notice a lot of pressure down there too. When you notice it happening more frequent try to start timing it, write it on paper or use a timer. When its every 5 minutes go to the hospital. My second pregnancy was a planned c-section. My third was a planned c-section but the night before my surgery my water broke. If your water breaks go to the hospital too. My water broke at 7pm and i actually thought i peed my pants. It took myself 1.5 hours to convince myself i wasn't peeing my pants it was my water. I kept going to the bathroom to sit on the toilet cuz the water kept gushing out. Its a very strange feeling not having any control either. By the time I got to the hospital and checked in I was still gushing water on and off. I was only dilated 1 cm and was taken in for my c-section. Baby was born by 10pm. Try not to worry to much its not good for the baby. You will know when its time to go to the hospital and if your not sure just go to be on the safe side it cannot hurt anything. Better to be safe than sorry. good luck
Contractions build and become closer together, and longer and more intense. Frankly it hurt like heck. My labor was 36 hrs long. It was 16 hrs before I got the epidural, and by then I was in tears and the anesthesiologist was my best friend in the world. I never would have had the strength to push if I hadn't been able to rest up for it.
You call your doctor and they talk to you through several contractions. When it's too much for you to talk through (and they are coming at about 2-3 min apart), most doctors will have you head over to the hospital.
