How Do You Know When It's True Labor?

Bumping to top cuz I really want an answer.

I don't know that there is a definite answer to this, tigres. The contractions get closer and closer together. You just feel differently. All vague and not what you are looking for, I know. Suffice to say, you will know before you have that baby that you are in labor! First labors usually take a long time. My first was 36+ hours and I had to have the doctor confirm the 'waves' of pain I was feeling were actual labor. But i'd have clued in on that eventually, since the contractions started coming a lot closer together shortly.

Good luck :)

You will know like ingi said....

I had elisa in 41/2 hrs but the prelabor was really really bad, not only do they get closer together when you gte a contraction you dont want to walk or talk your water will possibly break before hand like it did with cam or during active labor..

Girl...I woke up that morning having cramps. They were about every 5mins. Apart and that started at like 8am. As noon approached they became about 3 mins. Apart. I was still able to run errands, but I thought I was dehydrated and they were .Braxton .Hicks. When I got home I got me some water and tried to lay in different possitions. When this didn't work, I tried to talk around, which obviously didn't work either.

Well I decided to go to .Target to get some last minute things, like a robe for me and some slippers for the hospital. I was having contractions while I was checking out. They were still about 3 mins apart.

When I got home I tried to take a shower, to see if they would go away. They didn't, but the water helped a lot with the pain!!! I decided to shave my legs just in case I wasn't coming back home. We all know the hair on our legs is of high importance when you're in labor! Hahaha

girl after I got out of the shower they started every 2 mins and became more intense. My .Fiance was barking at me to go to the hospital. But I refused, thinking I would just go home. I .A.S.S.U.M.E.D that labor was going to be this horrible horrible pain and I would only be 2cm and they would send me home.

Finally I could'nt speak while having a contraction, so I decided to go to the hospital. When I got there it was 5pm and I was 5cm dialated!! By 6:30pm my mom showed up and I was 7 - 8cm and my water broke while they were checking me. Bt 7:30pm I was 9 1/2 cm and they checked me and asked me to push. After that 1 push I was 10cm. I pushed through 6 or 7 contractions and there she was!!!! It was 7:58pm!!

I know they say that you're 1st labor is forever and it's intense, but as you know I didn't have an epidural, and it was as bad as I made it. Ya know?? I had a clear mind and I was determined to do it without the use of meds, and she was here in less than 3 hours of intense labor with contracions 30seconds apart.

I know this was hella long, but you will definately know when it's that time!!! You begin to feel cramps in the front. Then after a couple of hours, it begins in the back and comes around to the front. They're like a continual clentching or tightening. Wathcing them on the monitor helped .A .L.O.T!!!!

Sarah

That helps a little....Well, sort of... :lol: sorry guys, it's just as it gets closer and closer to my due date, I get more and more worried about wasting a day of my precious leave time on false labor.

Anyhoo I feel positively yucky today, all run down and tired and "blah!". I've got mountains of work to slog through and that's exactly what i'll be doing, slogging. I feel like i'm moving through jello. You guys probably won't see too much of me, just warning you so you don't think something exciting has happened like i've gone into labor. I'll probably never go into labor...I'll be like that other person with a forever pregnancy... Catch y'all later when I don't feel like i'm going to collapse...And I have a good attitude again...

I'm officially losing it. I went into false labor that felt exactly like real labor yesterday. I was getting so excited thinking that this whole godforsaken pregnancy thing would finally be over. It started off as just generally feeling tired and run down. Then there was this hideous pressure that made the bones in my legs ache. Then my back started to hurt like I got hit by a mack truck, so I left work and went home. Sure enough the contractions started. At first they were only mildly annoying, I would say just uncomfortable. Then they started to get stronger to the point where they were actually painful but not unbearable. Then the pain intensity stayed the same but they started to come closer together. Then they started moving into my back. Yeah that went on for a total of six hours and then just completely stopped. Talk about p*ssed. I'm just so disgusted and frustrated with this whole business I just feel like crawling into a corner somewhere and crying. It's depressing me to the point where I don't want to get out of the bed in the morning.

To rpevent false labor, drink .L.O.T.S of water!! Being dehydrated is more than likely the coulprit!!!!!

Hang in there hun!! It'll be time before you know it!!

Sarah

Lol...I bet when he's about 2 he'll be a prankster!!! Always wanting to play peek a boo!!

With the labor: now ya feel me...Now ya don't!!! Peek a boo!!!

Sarah

I just wanted to say that I am completely amazed that a job would make you work until you are actually in labour.