Menstrual-like cramps
Lower abdominal pressure
Indigestion
Diarrhea
A sensation of warmth in the abdomen
Bloody show (blood-tinged mucus)
Rupture of the amniotic membranes (your water will break), though it’s more likely that they’ll rupture sometime during active labor.
Emotionally, you may feel excitement, relief, anticipation, uncertainty, anxiety, fear; some women are relaxed and chatty, others tense and apprehensive.
What You Can Do.
Of course you’re excited (and nervous), but it’s important to relax—or at least try to relax. This could take a while.
If it’s nighttime, try to sleep (you might not be able to later, when the contractions are coming fast and furious). If you can’t sleep—what with all the adrenaline pumping—get up and do things around the house that will distract you. Cook a few more dishes to add to your freezer stash, fold some baby clothes, do the rest of the laundry so you can come home to an empty hamper (it’ll fill up again soon enough), or log on to your favorite message board to see if anyone else is in the same boat. If it’s daytime, go about your usual routine, as long as it doesn’t take you far from home (don’t go anywhere without your cell phone). If you’re at work, you might want to head home (it’s not like you’re going to get anything done anyway). If you have nothing planned, find something relaxing to keep you occupied. Take a walk, watch TV, e-mail friends and family, finish packing your bag.
Alert the media. Okay, maybe not the media (yet)—but you’ll definitely want to put your spouse on alert if he’s not with you. He probably doesn’t have to rush to your side just yet if he’s at work—unless he really wants to—since there’s not much for him to do this early on. If you have hired a doula, it would be a good idea to issue a bulletin to her, too.
Eat a light snack or meal if you’re hungry (broth, toast with jam, plain pasta or rice, Jell-O, a Popsicle, pudding, a banana, or something else your practitioner has suggested)—now’s the best time to stock up on energy foods. But don’t eat heavily, and avoid hard-to-digest foods (burgers, potato chips). You may also want to skip anything acidic, such as orange juice or lemonade. And definitely drink some water—it’s important to stay hydrated.
Make yourself comfortable. Take a warm shower; use a heating pad if your back is aching; take acetaminophen (Tylenol) if your practitioner approves. Don’t take aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).
Time contractions (from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next) for half an hour if they seem to be getting closer than 10 minutes apart and periodically even if they don’t. But don’t be a constant clock-watcher.
