How to recognise when labour starts

You’re unlikely to mistake the signs of labour when the time really comes but, if you’re in any doubt, don’t hesitate to contact your hospital or midwife and ask for advice.

Signs that labour is beginning

Regular contractions
You may have been feeling contractions (Braxton Hicks’ contractions) – when your abdomen gets tight and then relaxes – throughout pregnancy. Lately you will have become more aware of them. When they start to come regularly, last more than 30 seconds and begin to feel stronger, labour may have started. Gradually they will become longer, stronger and more frequent.

Other signs of labour

You may or may not also have the following signs:

backache or that aching, heavy feeling that some women get with their monthly period;

• a ‘show’ – either before labour starts, or early in labour, the plug of mucus in the cervix, which has helped to seal the womb during pregnancy, comes away and comes out of the vagina. This small amount of sticky pink mucus is called a ‘show’ – you don’t lose a lot of blood with a show, just a little, mixed with mucus. If you are losing more blood, it may be a sign that something is wrong, so telephone your hospital or midwife straight away;

• the waters breaking – the bag of water in which the baby is floating may break before labour starts (you could keep a sanitary pad (not a tampon) handy if you’re going out, and put a plastic sheet on the bed). If the waters break before labour starts, you will notice either a slow trickle from your vagina or a sudden gush of water that you can’t control – phone the hospital or your midwife, and you will probably be advised to go in at once;

• nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea