Is your baby coming? 5 signs you are in labor

Although the signs of labor are easy to identify, some women find it more difficult than others. Here we gather some of the most common symptoms

Predicting the exact moment when you are going to start labor is not possible. However, your body begins to prepare about one month before birth, and as the day approaches new symptoms may appear.

Leer en español: ¿Cómo saber si ya viene mi bebé? 5 señales de trabajo de parto

Although these signs are easy to identify, some women find it more difficult than others, especially if they are having their first baby, so we gather some of the most common:

1. According to the daily Babies and Moms, weeks before the birth you will have the feeling that your baby's head has descended and it is embedded in the lower part of your pelvis. When this happens, you may feel the need to urinate frequently, ease to breath and digest food, and decrease in the rib cage.

2. Appearance of blood: one or two days before contractions, you will notice the appearance of a pink mucus with veins of blood that is nothing more than the mucous plug that sealed the uterus during pregnancy to prevent the entry of bacteria. However, not all women notice this appearance and some begin with contractions before expelling the plug.

Keep in mind that if the bleeding is abundant you should contact your doctor immediately, as this could be a warning sign.

3. Braxton Hicks contractions increase: a prepartum start can be marked with the increase in duration, frequency, and intensity of training contractions. The Baby Center newspaper explains that for some women they may feel like menstrual cramps and occur with the maturation of the uterus. These can be relatively painful and happen with a frequency of 10 to 20 minutes.

You may also be interested: What you did not know about the new real baby

4. According to the Mayo Clinic, the surge of sudden energy, or nesting instinct, may be a signal to some women. You could wake up one morning wanting to eat the world, wanting to cook, order your baby's room, and classify their clothes according to color. You should do what you feel, but save energy for labor, which is a much more complex task.

5. Water breaks: at the beginning or during labor, the amniotic sac, the membrane filled with fluid that cushioned your baby in the uterus, breaks. You may feel an irregular or constant drip of small amounts of watery fluid coming out of the vagina. When this happens, warn your doctor so he stimulates uterine contractions and you do not get an infection.

When should I go to my doctor?

• If you have symptoms of preterm labor, such as contractions, before week 37
• You have vision changes, severe headaches, a lot of discomfort in your upper abdomen, abnormal swelling, or any other pre-malady symptom
• You have vaginal bleeding, severe and constant abdominal pain, or fever

LatinAmerican Post | Luisa Báez
Translated from “¿Cómo saber si ya viene mi bebé? 5 señales de trabajo de parto”

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