The final days before delivery can be an anxious and exciting at the same time. It’s been a long wait for you and the little one will finally be out of your womb into your arms.
There’s also that liberating feeling of being done with being pregnant and all the limitations it brings. Your gynaecologist has probably given you a due date and you keep counting the days as you approach closer to the D-day.
While it’s not necessary that the delivery will take place on the due date itself unless you’re getting a C-section, your body will show signs that labor is 24 to 48 hours away.
This usually includes lower back pain, weight loss, diarrhoea and the most obvious of all, water breaking.
Yes, these are the most common signs to watch out for but every woman experiences them in different ways. Childbirth can be a walk in the park for some expecting mums or a complicated mess for others.
Either way, it helps to know that you are now in the home stretch of the pregnancy and closer than ever towards delivering your precious little one.
So, dear mums, here are seven ways that your body will give your signs that labor is 24 to 48 hours away.
7 Signs That Labor Is 24 To 48 Hours Away
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1. Water breaking
The most obvious sign that you are entering labour is your water breaking with the rupture of your amniotic sac. It’s a fluid-filled sac that protects your baby as it grows and develops over the nine-month period.
The sac usually breaks because the baby’s head puts increased pressure on the sac. With the amniotic sac rupturing, it’s a sign that your body is preparing for delivery and you should be heading to the hospital immediately.
While some women will feel a gush of water flowing down, others will realise it’s only a small trickle or feeling of wetness in their innerwear.
2. Losing the mucus plug
This is a thick collection of mucus that seals the opening of the cervix. It ideally stops bacteria from entering the expecting mum’s uterus. However, when the body is close to delivering, the plug will loosen and drop out.
Some mums will realise a glob of mucus falling out after using the restroom, while others may realise its presence in their underwear or when wiping after urination.
One of the signs to watch out for is clear or pink mucus, which also contain blood. Experts suggest that it’s completely normal and only a part of losing the mucus plug.
In most cases, you will lose the mucus plug a few days before going into labour, while the time period could fluctuate by a few weeks as well.
3. Lower back pain
Back pain is natural during pregnancy especially close to the labour date. This is because the joints and ligaments naturally loosen in preparation for childbirth.
That’s why expecting mums will experience pre-labour lower back pain that will make the process a bit more uncomfortable than it already is.
One of the signs that labor is 24 to 48 hours away is lower pack pain that may feel excessive during those hours. This extends to your pelvis area as well and is likely to continue until after delivery.
4. Diarrhoea
Your body automatically starts adjusting itself towards the end of pregnancy and will release the relaxin hormone that will loosen your joints and ligaments.
While it causes lower back and pelvis pain, it will also cause diarrhoea. This happens because the muscles around the rectum relax.
5. Weight Loss
Expecting mums will also experience weight loss right before the delivery period. While this isn’t a hard and fast rule for all mums, some pregnant women can lose up to 1.5 kg in one or two days before going into labour.
This happens because the body starts shedding excess water weight that it was holding during pregnancy. One of the biggest ways to lose this water weight is the loss of amniotic fluid as well as increased urination.
The baby moving to a lower position further adds pressure on the bladder that will increase your number of visits to the restroom.
If you see a similar weight drop closer to your due date, it’s a sign that you should prepare for childbirth.
6. Real contractions
While the Braxton Hicks contractions or false labour pains can start months before the due date, the real contractions will take place within hours or days.
Real contractions occur as your uterine muscles prepare for delivery. In comparison to false contractions, these ones are strong in intensity and occur frequently. They last longer than a minute with a frequency of 4-5 minutes.
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7. Cervical dilation
As you come closer to the due date, your gynaecologist will check your cervix to see how far you’ve dilated.
The cervix opening needs to dilate so that the baby can easily pass through the birth canal. On average, the cervix needs to dilate at least 10 cm for a vaginal delivery.
When labour kicks in, the cervix would’ve dilated about 2-3 cm. This indicates that labor is 24 to 48 hours away.
In most cases, your doctor will recommend that you get admitted to the hospital during this period.
The final days of your pregnancy can be chaotic both physically and emotionally. Make sure you make the most of it and prepare as much as possible beforehand.
Do have a birth plan in place that you’ve shared with the hospital, and do include a Plan B to make things easier for you and your partner. Better preparation will only help you enjoy your motherhood and the adventure it brings.
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