Even for women who have gone through it before, trying to read the signs of impending labor seems impossible. Every cramp or unusual symptom may very well be the beginning of labor, but then again, delivery may still be weeks away. Even the doctors will tell you, “It could be a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks!” It’s enough to make you want to pull your hair out.
Take the bloody show, for example. What is it supposed to look like anyway? How do you know if you’ve had it and what does it mean? For some women, it might just look like a little brown spotting. But for other women, it can resemble a period. If your due date is near and you have spotting, it’s more than likely that you are beginning to dilate, which is the source of the bleeding.
The best indicator is a visit with your doctor to monitor contractions and check your cervix. Your doctor may hook you up to the monitors for an hour while you relax to see if contractions are regular and how far apart they are. To see if you are dilated, your doctor will insert two fingers and gently open them in your cervix to see how open it is. Each finger width is about a centimeter. That is why different nurses and doctors may get different readings. Progress is more important than the actual measurement.
The beginning stages of labor can drag on for weeks for some women, and that is what makes it so hard to predict when the baby will decide to arrive. Once active labor begins, though, there is no question that delivery is imminent! Contractions will intensify significantly, as though to say, “Okay, I mean business now!” If you are finding it difficult to breath during a contraction, get to the hospital and quick! Your baby is almost here!