Signs of Labour
How to Know When Your Baby Is Getting Ready to Arrive
Every body moves toward labour in its own way and at its own pace. For some, signs build slowly over days; for others, everything changes within hours. Below are the most common signs that labour is approaching, and how to tell when it has truly begun.
Pre-Labour: When Labour Day Is Near
These are signs your body is preparing – not active labour yet, but changes are happening.
1. Baby “Drops” (Lightening)
Your baby settles lower into your pelvis.
- First-time parents often notice this 1–2 weeks before labour.
- Second-time parents may not “drop” until labour actually starts.
You may feel more pelvic pressure and more space under your ribs.
2. More Frequent Urination
Baby’s head pressing on your bladder = more bathroom trips.
3. Low Backache and Pelvic Pressure
Your ligaments and muscles stretch as baby moves downward.
4. Stronger Braxton Hicks Contractions
These practice contractions may:
- Feel like period cramps
- Come and go for days
- Ease when you change position, walk, rest, or hydrate
They help soften and thin your cervix.
5. Loose Stools or Nausea
Labour hormones can create “nature’s enema,” emptying the bowels to make more room for baby.
6. Increased Vaginal Discharge
More clear or sticky fluid is common.
7. “Bloody Show”
Losing the mucus plug – a small amount of pink or brownish discharge – means the cervix is opening.
Labour often begins within a few days, but it can still take up to a week or more.
Important: If bleeding is bright red or similar to a period, contact your care provider immediately.
8. Water Breaking (“Rupture of Membranes”)
Only about 10% of people experience this before contractions begin.
It may feel like a gush or a slow trickle.
Labour usually starts within hours.
How to Tell When Labour Has Truly Begun
Labour contractions follow a pattern that builds – they become stronger, longer, and closer together.
You’re moving into active labour when your contractions:
- Come in a regular pattern
- Get progressively stronger and harder to talk through
- Last at least 45–60 seconds
- Come every 3–5 minutes
- Continue regardless of position, rest, or movement
- Begin radiating into your lower back and pelvis
At this point, you are likely to meet your baby within the day.
Pre-Labour vs. Labour
A simple way to understand the difference:
Pre-Labour
(Practice Contractions)
- Irregular
- Do not build in intensity
- Often felt mostly in the front
- Ease with rest, position change, or a bath
- Help your cervix soften and prepare
- Your uterus feels like a firm, tight ball
Labour Contractions
- Follow a pattern
- Grow progressively stronger
- Spread from abdomen into the back
- Do not disappear with rest or movement
- Often accompanied by bloody show
- Continue to intensify until baby is born
A Reassuring Note
There is no such thing as “false labour.”
Every contraction – even early ones – helps your uterus prepare, your cervix soften, and your baby find the right position.
If you’re ever unsure whether labour has started, reach out to your midwife or care provider. That’s exactly what they’re there for.
