labor

Some signs that labor may be approaching:

loss of mucus plug or bloody show

diarrhea

nesting

loss of a small amount of weight

These can occur anywhere from hours to days before labor.

What I tell my pregnant patients about when to go to the hospital:

If you are bleeding like a period, go now.

If your water breaks, even if you aren't hurting, go now.

If you are pregnant with your first baby, come to the hospital when contractions are every 5 minutes for an hour (for full-term pregnancies).

Some moms, especially primips, may not recognize early labor contractions or preterm contractions. I tell them to be aware of any abdominal, back, or pelvic pain that comes and goes. If the baby is in occiput posterior position, they will often feel contractions in their backs. Regardless of where they feel them, contractions are usually palpable at the fundus.

This list isn't all-encompassing, but it hits the high points. I used to feel so sorry for the jail patients we cared for! Not that they were in jail, because that was often where they needed to be, but that a cop or deputy sat there with them the whole time, and they weren't allowed a family member.