Did You Have an Instinct For When Labor Would Start?

[Shelsi]

I don't know if this is wishful thinking or actual instinct. I will be 36 weeks on Wednesday so maybe I am just panicking that things are getting so close? All of a sudden I keep thinking I will be 37 weeks when I go into labor. Even though I really have no logical reason to believe that to be true. In fact, most things point to me being over 40 weeks, not early. My mom and my grandmother both had late babies 42 weeks+. I had ds at 39 weeks, but he was an elective induction (I was naive) and I wasn't even close to going into labor...I'm lucky I ended up with a vaginal birth since I learned later I had a horrible bishop's score. I was only 1 cm dialated according to my OB but the nurses said I was closed up tight the day of my induction. I wasn't effaced and they didn't even use a cervical ripener, just did straight pitocin.

My mom is coming for the birth and won't even be here until I am 39 weeks. I don't think she thinks it's possible to have a baby before a due date since it never happened to her or anyone in our side of the family.

So maybe I'm freaking out because I know my mom won't be here, I don't have my birth kit yet (gotta wait for payday), I don't have the hoses and stuff for my tub, etc. And maybe I'm just getting that antsy end of pregnancy "I want this baby out" vibes. Or maybe I actually have some sort of instinct?? Ack! I know I won't know until 37 weeks comes and either brings a baby or not but now I'm driving myself nuts.

ETA: I know you can walk around 4 cm for weeks or be nothing and then have a baby 12 hours later but I got curious and checked myself the other day. My cervix is still so high up I can't even reach it so I'm guessing nothing is happening. I have no physical signs whatsoever that I could be in labor in the next week and a half. Just this nagging feeling...

[AugustLia23]

I don't have much advice for you...Just wanted to say to be prepared for if the baby decides to come early. FWIW, I am 28 weeks and when I reach in to feel, my cervix is a finger-depth in and very soft, and I can feel the baby's head. I am about 100% sure I will go to term, as I was this way with my last pregnancy and still carried to just past 40 weeks. I think it has more to do with how we carry than anything else. Have faith that the baby will come when he or she is ready.

[courtenay_e]

And, please make sure that your midwife knows that you won't be getting your birthkit until payday...that way, if you DO go into labor before payday, she'll come with some stuff of her own! Otherwise, she'll kind of be working in the dark in some places...

[Shelsi]

Originally Posted by courtenay_e

And, please make sure that your midwife knows that you won't be getting your birthkit until payday...that way, if you DO go into labor before payday, she'll come with some stuff of her own! Otherwise, she'll kind of be working in the dark in some places...

Good idea, but yes, she knows. Well she just actually remembered to give me the info the other day and she knows I have to order it. I get paid this week so it should be here in time.

I think last night since I wasn't feeling real well and it had been a long day I was just having a giant "get this baby out of me sooner rather than later" feeling.

[AuntG]

I'm about 39 weeks and still no dilation! My instinct tells me when I need to stay close to home though, but then again my instinct sometimes tells me to devour an entire box of cookies at once. My instinct may be a bit faulty.

[LifeIZBeautiful]

I thought I did with number 1. When I did start labor, she actually broke my waters....so that was a pretty goos indicator ...

[Maggi315]

You know, I didn't. I have lots of wishful thinking, even dreaming about it, but nothing worked out like that.

HOWEVER, my daughter, now 17 was able to correctly predict and anticipate both of her sisters births! With my 12 yo, she told me about 3 weeks before that she would be born on a saturday night at 3 in the morning. She was born EXACTLY at that time!

With my 8yo, she woke me up and asked if I was ready to leave for the hospital. No, I'm sleeping. Oh, well, I'll be downstairs reading, because you are going to have to leave soon if you are going to make it. 5 minutes later, first contraction, hayley born less than 4 hours later!!!!

My 12yo knew I was in labor with my last before I did. I assumed braxton hicks since I pretty much had very painful ones for the last month daily. She insisted it was real labor, went and filled up the labor pool and started dinner. Sure enough, almost as soon as I got in the pool my water broke! At the moment my water broke, my friend (also one of my midwives) called and was on the phone asking my daughter how things were going, she felt an urge to call!!!

So in my case it was others not me!

[ecoteat]

Even though it started on my due date, I didn't even know I was in labor until I couldn't talk through contractions. It totally snuck up on me. I saw the mws 2 days before, and they were expecting me to go another week at least! So no, no instinct here!

[pinksprklybarefoot]

I really thought I was going to go at about 35 weeks. Everyone (mw, firend who is a L & D nurse) said I had "the look."

I took it as a sign that I needed to slow down and get in a better (more prepared) mental place for my baby. I did, and I wound up going past 41 weeks.

[nonconformnmom]

Barb - your stories are amazing! How wonderful.

I did not have any instinct about it, until my third baby. I was well over 41 weeks past the "due date" and one day I just knew. I announced to my family that "I am going to have this baby within 24 hours."

I was wrong. It was 26 hours.

[LiLStar]

Maggi, thats so cool! Your daughters have some brilliant intuition

I was sure, from the very beginning, that I was going to go into labor on feb 12 (due feb 10) and if i was wrong, I'd be going much later for sure (my mom was induced at 43 weeks with my brother, and never got to labor with any of the rest of us) My mom was flying in for the birth, and mentioned that she was thinking jan30-feb12 for travel dates, and I was like, whhooaa... no way! I'm not due till the 10th and I'm sure I'll go late. She made reservations for the 10th. Whaddya know, labor started jan31 just before midnight.. mom would have done well to stick with her original instinct! l

[Shelsi]

I wonder if my mom's instinct will be right as well? I wanted her to get here in my 38th week (she has to fly as well) and she said that's ridiculous and she doesn't want to be here forever lol. She insists that even at 39 weeks we'll still have plenty of time to shop and just sit around and do nothing. In fact, she's scheduled to leave when I would be 1 day shy of 43 weeks and she said she's afraid I'm still going to be hanging on and she'll miss the whole thing :

Yeah I think last night I was just having super duper wishful thinking. I'm not feeling the 37 week vibe anymore And today I feel better so it was probably just because I didn't feel well. Oh well, here's to another month or more of being prego most likely!

[arlecchina]

oh I was positive my second would come on the 17th, he came on the 26th