What are the signs of impending labour?

As we reach the end of our pregnancy, our bodies and minds are on high alert. The slightest strange sensation (well, we mean weirder than feeling another human being wriggling around in your gut...) catches our attention and we ask ourselves over and over again: is this (FINALLY!?) for today? 

Very early in the pregnancy, doctors set a due date based on the last day of the menstrual period (a relatively uncertain fact for many women). And naturally, we focus on THIS day, which will become one of the most important days of our lives. A day to remember! Yes, but ... science (like us, by the way) sometimes seems to forget that this baby is a little person in its own right with its own sense of humour and timing and that, despite all the possible scientific calculations, weight prognoses, height measurements, shin size, etc., it will show up when it wants to, full stop. Day or evening, week, weekend or holiday (yes, some people really have no mercy), before or after the long-awaited D-Day, one thing is certain: you will do what he wants you to do and not the other way around. However, there are some signs - sometimes discreet - that may alert you to the fact that you are not the only one.

There are clear signs, such as the charming breakage of the water bag, which often happens in public ("Why is the lady peeing herself?") and at a totally incongruous moment ("Can you prepare the bill quickly enough, please, and then we'll take the rest of the menu to go instead!) Because coming to the end of a pregnancy isn't sporty enough, Mother Nature adds a little joke to end our personal Airon Man in style. But other signs of childbirth are less well known but still invite you to prepare yourself gently but surely for the very soon arrival of mini you.

It's a matter of days

You are full term, you have reached the 37th week of pregnancy, so your baby could come out at any time. Some make a dramatic and unexpected entrance before this time, so be on your guard. What are the warning signs? 

- a very great fatigue. That's the theory, because we wonder what percentage of women wriggle like a roach with a 9-month-old belly, especially those who give birth in the summer when the mercury exceeds 30°C.

- the loss of the mucous plug. Yes, another glamorous pregnancy detail that no one told you about... #derienlesfilles. The mucous plug, which looks like a deliciously bloody mucus, is located in the cervix. It is an additional protection for the baby because, as the name suggests, it acts as a plug to the outside. The closer the birth gets, the more the cervix changes, which can lead to the mucous plug being detached and evacuated. This is a real warning sign that labour may occur in the next few hours or days, even though some women may have to wait another two to three weeks.

" I lost the mucus plug four days before my delivery. I had already been off sick for a fortnight because I had a growing cervix and regular contractions. I simply went to the toilet to urinate and when I wiped myself, I noticed a few fine traces of blood on the paper. PANIC ON BOARD! I look in the bottom of the bowl and see a pile of mucus with blood. Euuuuuuh ?! I use my two remaining brain cells and conclude that I'm not in labour or miscarrying, that this thing at the bottom of the toilet is neither my baby nor a piece of him. I calm down. I realise that I don't feel any pain, nothing in particular, no stronger contractions. I google (aaah the poetry of internet searches during pregnancy!) "mucus with blood 9 months pregnant" and I discover what a mucus plug is. I admit I was tempted to take a photo of the thing to ask my physio if it was really that, but I really liked it and I finally decided I didn't want to inflict it on her at 9.30am on a Tuesday. Marie-Noëlle, Milk Away MUM.

- a lower belly. For some women this is quite impressive. In just a few days, the belly (and therefore the baby) sinks and becomes much more bulky. You give up counting the number of times you have to go to the toilet to pee and forget about sitting on anything lower than your knees. You won't get up on your own, that's for sure. At least not with any dignity. #saveWilly

- more regular and painful contractions. In fact, sometimes they are painful, sometimes just uncomfortable. These contractions, although regular, are often of low intensity and are called Braxton-Hicks contractions. In this case, it is advisable to take a bath. If the contractions don't subside once you're in the water, then things start to get serious. It's a bit of a cliché, but we'll say it anyway: if you're wondering if this is a labour contraction, it's not! As the hours or days go by they will intensify and get closer until the water breaks and/or labour contractions begin. Not all women break their water bag first.

" I was extremely lucky during my delivery: my cervix opened up to 6 cm without the labour contractions starting. In the euphoria of the moment I googled (yes again!): delivery without painful contractions. Well, it is possible but extremely rare. During the contractions, I felt a lot of pressure on my belly, I had difficulty breathing and it was not pleasant at all, but I could stand up without any problem, I walked, I chatted, I made jokes, I was showing off a bit, "Did you see that? 6 cm and not bad! I asked my physio and the midwife several times: are you sure these aren't labour contractions? And they answered me in heart: trust us, you don't look like a woman in labour. Well, okay. And then my water broke. And then I had labour contractions. I have only one thing to say: dear anaesthetist, I love you. 6 hours later, Lily was in my arms, I felt everything, I just didn't have any pain, it was a Walt Disney birth. Marie-Noëlle, Milk Away MUM.

- severe back pain. This is an intense and unusual back pain. It is a collateral effect of the contractions that accelerate and intensify.

- a baby that moves less. This is a lesser-known sign that is difficult to interpret. Suddenly, the boxing matches in your womb are over. The baby is moving less because he has no more room and is saving his strength for the big slide. The fact that he moves less is normal at the end of pregnancy, but it can also be a bad sign. So don't hesitate to make an appointment with your gynaecologist to make sure that everything is fine.

It's a matter of hours

- The water broke. From that moment on, we want to say to you: "Let the game begin". There is no doubt about it, labour has started and you can go to the maternity ward. However, you should be aware that sometimes the water bag cracks and drains slowly, which is much less obvious to notice. If this is your first child, no stress (in any case, there is no point in panicking, forgetting half your belongings at home or risking an accident). You should set off in good spirits (and a bit of pain too, but the adrenaline will do its job, it'll be fine!). If you already have children, the delivery is generally quicker, so go to the maternity ward without making a detour to your mother-in-law's house to tell her in person that it's coming soon.

"Is this what contractions feel like? The sensation reminds me more of painful periods, even though the pains are regular. I call the whole world to find out if they are labour contractions or the famous false true Braxton-Hicks contractions. But it's May 1st, a public holiday, it's 5pm, nobody answers. At best, I could have talked to a midwife walking up a mountain who would have told me to relax and not to worry. Yes, but ... the contractions are getting stronger and closer. I'm 36 weeks pregnant, it's too early! My husband John and I prefer to go to the hospital, even if it means looking stupid and getting the boot. He asks me if he has time for a shower. "Yes, my love! ". Five minutes later: "Er, I think my water just broke. It's not a false alarm, hurry up, let's go! It's 6.15pm when we start the car and the hospital is 45 minutes away. The longest 45 minutes of my life, having to pass all the Sunday grandpas coming back from their walk. With my belt between my teeth and my feet up on the dashboard, the work begins. There they are: the real contractions. At 7pm, we arrive at the hospital after turning the car into a swimming pool because I feel like I've lost litres of amniotic fluid (#thanks to the car seat). Covid obliges, they first take my temperature but I don't have any more... CAN'T YOU SEE I'M IN LABOUR? What happened next is a bit of a blur. I was picked up in a wheelchair as I could no longer stand. Once I was lying on a monitoring table, I was told that I was already at 6 cm. I went to the delivery room. No gynaecologist, no epidural, John acted as midwife and at 7.15pm: Doug was born. This is what we call an express delivery. "Aurélie, Milk Away MUM.

- contractions every five minutes for at least an hour. Yes, it's a long time, but the risk is that you'll be turned away if you come too early and the maternity ward is crowded. And that's really the end of it... When in doubt, or if you feel stressed, don't hesitate to call the hospital where you are going to give birth; ask them your questions, explain your symptoms, they are professionals, they will help you keep calm and tell you what to do and when to come.

We don't wait, we go for it

- If you lose fresh, red blood. Take a deep breath, focus on one goal and get to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible. Call an ambulance first and if possible, move to the front door to speed up the transfer. Blood loss is abnormal but not always serious; only a doctor can confirm this.

- If you feel in your gut that something is wrong. 

Tick, tock, tick, tock, the big meeting is coming up. Get ready for a tsunami of emotions.