early labor signs - check 'em off

[joannalovesyou]

okay my fellow patiently and not-so-patiently waiting friends. let's do a signs of labor check off:

nesting instinct - check, had a HUGE burst yesterday and did all the dishes, 3 loads of laundry, and lots of cooking and baking
braxton hicks - sort of check? they're not regular whatsoever
dropping / lightening - check, 3 weeks ago
cervix effacement / dilation (if your practitioner is checking this) - mine isn't checking unless i go over 40 weeks
loss of mucus plug / bloody show - nope
rupture of membranes / water broke - nope
other (nausea, diarrhea, cramps) - i've been having lower back pain, some crampy feelings, and acid reflux

this is my first so i have no way of telling how close or far away i am! we'll find out, i guess.

where are you at and how are you feeling?

[isosmom]

Oh, you forgot one - bitchy! Oh, check. I try not to be, but I am. I just am.

As far as the others. Nesting - can't. stop. cooking. And everything dirty must be taken care of immediatley (so normally not the case).
BH - Yes, but I've been getting those since early pg, and they're not doing anything since I'm only 1 cm and 5 days late.

With dc1 I had all of those things so early, like a month before dd was born and she was still a week late. With dc2 I had nothing, and he was born the day before his edd. Go figure.

[marisa]

Check on all of them except the bloody show or water breaking - won't likely happen for me until active labor or pushing.

Monday marks 42 weeks for me, and I have a feeling my midwives are getting nervous!

[BarefootinBrooklyn]

nesting instinct - yes, everything is all set up and ready for the baby, and I've been cleaning the past couple days for my mother's arrival

braxton hicks - yes, getting spells of them that are 8-10 minutes apart, but just for 40 or 50 minutes, and not increasing in intensity. Last night had a few of them that were 5 minutes apart and pretty intense, but went away when I got into bed.

dropping / lightening - a little bit, definitely feeling more pressure down below and my dr. says the baby is moving down, but I don't feel "totally" dropped.

cervix effacement / dilation (if your practitioner is checking this) - 20% effaced, not dilated at all (as of last Monday's 39 week appointment, going again on this Wednesday's 40 week appt. to check)

loss of mucus plug / bloody show - no

rupture of membranes / water broke - no

other (nausea, diarrhea, cramps) - lower back pain, menstrual-like cramps, and nausea this morning--I threw up my breakfast smoothie in the shower! Also been feeling very "tummy achy," not so much heartburn or diarrhea, but just a plain old constipated crampy feeling.

And I have a hemorrhoid that is really pissing me off--mainly because I know that it's only the beginning of those little suckers.:

[chrysalis]

b*tchy and sensitive/crabby/easily annoyed.... check

bh's......have had those quite often easily this pg.........and when sheamas sticks his body/butt out a certain way i am soooooooo uncomfortable and can barely move.

dilation/effacement...on the 7th i believe it was, i was 50% effaced and not dilated.

exhausted.....check. hardly any energy for anything.

nothing real else goin' on, unfortunately. did buy diapers for sheamas and more wipes today. and oh i got some lavender/chamomile baby powder...smelled it this morning and i am so ready for him to be born now...sigh...............

appetite mostly just for sweets.......although just ate at mongolian bbq and that was mighty good (noodles and such that i add to the bowl, then they cook it on a griddle for you...)

SPD came back last night...check. that sucks!!! i was feeling better w/out that goin' on.

not much to report. although i DID do something strange last night which was get up at about 4am and ate doritos and apple juice and got on here and felt very awake.....that is so not like my normal self. or even my pg self. so maybe that is a sign? i'll take anything at this point.... i'm not as depressed today....but feel annoyed w/ my mother.

[Grace24]

Not able to get to sleep, is that a sign? And I feel like there's a bowling ball between my legs and there's more pressure/pain in my pelvis. Wish there were a timeline to tell me how long it's gonna be from here! Not due til Friday and trying not to be impatient, but seriously I can barely move at this point and I'm sick of it!

[GooeyRN]

Originally Posted by Grace24

Not able to get to sleep, is that a sign? And I feel like there's a bowling ball between my legs and there's more pressure/pain in my pelvis. Wish there were a timeline to tell me how long it's gonna be from here! Not due til Friday and trying not to be impatient, but seriously I can barely move at this point and I'm sick of it!

Not being able to sleep? That was the tell-tale sign for me with dd. I had 3 nights of complete insomnia.

Even Ambien didn't put me to sleep.

[*GreenMama*]

nesting instinct - OMGYES. The cleaning ladies come tomorrow and it can't be soon enough. I am determined to get every load of outstanding laundry done tonight. Labor bag will be packed or I will scream. I'm making DH clean DS's room as we speak. And the bunny cage needs to be cleaned, and the dining room table decluttered, and the stepstool cleaned andandandandand....
braxton hicks - not for about a week... but had NONE with my DS.
dropping / lightening - I think maybe maybe?
cervix effacement / dilation (if your practitioner is checking this) - will check on Tuesday
loss of mucus plug / bloody show - nope
rupture of membranes / water broke - nope
other (nausea, diarrhea, cramps) - I have lower back pain, but not more than any other time this past week, diarrhea check - but my DH & DS have it too so its probably something we ate, lots of acid reflux

[*GreenMama*]

Oh yeah, and I'm also in the bitchy club. And my hips feel like they may just split apart.

[chrysalis]

i'm gonna have my MW check me again on tuesday...i just don't want to get discouraged if no dilation or no more effacement/thinning....... hmmmmmm. maybe i shouldn't get checked.

i sure hope this not sleeping well stuff is a sign. i keep hoping i'll see some bloody show or something but nothing. i feel like this boy never wants to come out.:

[Googy]

nesting instinct - I scrubbed out my fridge and all of my cabinets yesterday--'nuff said. I've done so much nesting that there's nothing else left to DO and I'm getting bored.
braxton hicks - yes, but nothing too regular or promising
dropping / lightening - yes, though not completely
cervix effacement / dilation - as of Thursday I was fully effaced but only a centimeter dialted
loss of mucus plug / bloody show - nope
rupture of membranes / water broke - nope. I had a little leak earlier in the week and I got all excited but it sealed up.
other (nausea, diarrhea, cramps) - major nausea and cramping, to the point that it kept me up all night last night and continued all day today, but its not progressing into anything
bitchiness - oh yeah, all of a sudden as of yesterday

I'm getting really frustrated!

[Valerieg]

nesting instinct - it has been strong for two weeks- today it was SUPER strong but I had little energy to do it. Just got upset that DH wouldn't do it for me.
braxton hicks - I've had these for weeks, nothing for the last couple days, or at least not super noticeable.
dropping / lightening - I thought it happened, maybe it hasn't. People keep saying I dropped.
cervix effacement / dilation (if your practitioner is checking this) - Errr...I was 1cm at my appt last Tuesday but I keep swearing that'll be my only check.
loss of mucus plug / bloody show - Not a sign of either.
rupture of membranes / water broke - Thankfully not since nothing else is happening.
other (nausea, diarrhea, cramps) - Nada

Now if bitchy is a sign, this baby is coming tonight. I've been hell on wheels today!!!

[MamaHippo]

I'm 40w 3d.

nesting instinct - been baking like a madwoman. And though the baby clothes are all put away, I want to take them all out to refold.

braxton hicks - All the time. Nothing regular, nothing too painful - though a couple have taken my breath away for a second or 2.

dropping / lightening - No, and thats the thing thats causing the most trouble. She's still at -5, floating. :

cervix effacement / dilation (if your practitioner is checking this) - 2 cm, 50% effaced, but I've been there since 38 weeks with no progress :.

mucus plug / bloody show - none. Just lots of regular, clear mucous discharge, like its been for the last month. Nothing bloody at all.

rupture of membranes / water broke - No

other (nausea, diarrhea, cramps) - Tons of backache and occasional vaginal pain, which has stumped my midwife because she's not low enough to be putting that much pressure on my girly bits.
I'm cranky and emotional and crying at the drop of a hat.

I think I have at least another week :

[Undercover Hippie]

41 weeks...

nesting instinct - kind of, I haven't started any huge ridiculous projects but I can't leave anything dirty... every bit of house has to be clean and picked up before bed each night...

braxton hicks - all the time and they are getting lower and crampier, but never regular

dropping / lightening - oh yeah, I am not sure what is holding him in at this point!

cervix effacement / dilation - didn't actually check but my MW is guessing from my signs that I am 3-4 cm

loss of mucus plug / bloody show - blood-tinged mucus on and off for the last 4 days

rupture of membranes / water broke - maybe a small forewater leak last Weds? But not sure and nothing else since then. Beginning to think I just peed myself LOL

other (nausea, diarrhea, cramps) - pooping more for the last week, backache, sometimes crampy with pressure

bitchy - yup, I feel bad for my kids because sometimes I just snap at them, I can't seem to help it...

Sheesh, I read through that and would think I was all ready to go... what is he waiting for???

[xelakann]

nesting instinct - sort of... I have nesting thoughts, but I have been sleeping so bad lately that I am too tired to do anything.
braxton hicks - check
dropping / lightening - check, but I've been carrying a low, low baby so it hasn't made much of a difference
cervix effacement / dilation (if your practitioner is checking this) - at 39 weeks I was 2 cm and 80%
loss of mucus plug / bloody show - yes mucus plug, no bloody show
rupture of membranes / water broke - nope
other (nausea, diarrhea, cramps) - lower back pain, pms crampy feelings, and less acid reflux, nausea (at times).

[kgrfcharlton]

Originally Posted by isosmom

Oh, you forgot one - bitchy! Oh, check. I try not to be, but I am. I just am.

- Well, I DEFIANTLY have this early sign of labor!!!

I did loose my plug a few days ago. I've never been so excited to see pink snot in my undies!

[pixiedust]

nesting instinct - hmm.. some the last few days
dropping / lightening - about 4 wks ago
cervix effacement / dilation (if your practitioner is checking this) haven't been checked yet.. trying to decide if I will tomorrow at my 41 wk appt.
loss of mucus plug / bloody show - I've been losing lots of mucus yesterday and today.. non of it pink though
rupture of membranes / water broke - nope
other (nausea, diarrhea, cramps) - nausea, diarrhea, cramps, and BH's like crazy.. for the past week LOL