When I gave birth to my son a week early it was completely surreal. I mean, pregnancy and labor and delivery are probably always on the surreal side, but I was almost in shock that it had actually happened. Throughout most of my pregnancy, I had a feeling that my baby was going to arrive early, but my strategy for dealing with the fear of labor and delivery was simply to pretend that it wasn't going to happen. During the week before I delivered I might have been intentionally oblivious to some degree, but there were also a few signs that labor was soon to come that I just didn't think twice about. Now keep in mind that these things can mean absolutely nothing for some women, but they could very well be cues that your baby's birth is not far off. Here are four signs that your baby will be arriving soon:
Read more ¿Qué más?: 7 Dangerous foods that could put your pregnancy at risk!
1. Weight gain dwindles. Oftentimes women will stop gaining weight or even lose weight in the last couple weeks of pregnancy. If you're still gaining, your baby might not be ready to make his entrance, but if you've stopped gaining, he may have reached his optimal birth weight and be ready to meet the world. Same goes for a belly that has stopped growing, however this can also be a sign of intra-uterine growth restriction, so be sure to follow the advice of your physician.
2. The waddle worsens. According to onlookers my belly hadn't yet dropped the day before I went into labor. I was pretty sure everyone was wrong though–in the days leading up to labor it kind of felt like my little guy was going to fall out, as evidenced by the pretty severe waddle walk I developed. Sure enough he had made it most of the way down the birth canal by the time I got to the hospital.
3. Mucus plug is expelled. The mucus plog is basically a clot of excretions that forms in the opening of the cervix to protect the womb from harmful bacteria. As labor approaches, and the cervix prepares to open it is expelled. Not to be too graphic, but many women describe it as snot-like and bloody. The tricky part is, that if the baby is not ready to come, the mucus plug will regenerate, so some women may start to lose it a month before their babies arrive and for others it's a matter of days. For me it was just a few days and when I noticed it come out, it wasn't nearly as gross and bloody as I had anticipated so I didn't think much of it.
4. Your bowels may loosen. If you find yourself running (or speed-waddling) to the bathroom several times a day–you know, in addition to the five dozen times you have to pee–it may be your body responding to the stress of impending labor. But since things in the gastrointestinal realm tend to be so wonky during pregnancy, you may not even notice the increased frequency of your bowel movements. But if you do happen to notice and you're also having some of the other signs I've mentioned, you may be headed to L&D soon!
Image via Yodod/Flickr
