Similar to my first pregnancy, I never lost my mucus plug and did not have bloody show before I went into labor. Labor started without warning this time around too. My contractions began at five in the evening on the first day of my thirty ninth week of pregnancy. The contractions were very mild and felt like menstrual cramps. I mentioned to my husband that I was having some contractions and he started recording them. They were anywhere from four to fifteen minutes apart and lasted twenty to thirty seconds. I had experienced similar contractions a week earlier so I was not willing to say that I was definitely in labor. We kept track of the contractions for two hours and as the contractions progressed so did the discomfort. The point of pain morphed from just the bottom front of my uterus to radiating to my back but I still was ready to call this true labor. We called the midwife just to let her know that I might be in the very early stages of labor. Then we made dinner and the contractions continued without weakening but no really getting stronger either. After about four hours of contractions, we started getting all the birth supplies layed out and the birth pool set up (although we were not going to fill it with water until I was sure that my labor had indeed started). We went through the list our midwife gave us of things to do in preparation for active labor and the birth of our daughter. Throughout the evening while we were in the midst of getting things together, our midwife called about every hour or so to check on my progress. The contractions continued not really changing, they were uncomfortable of course but I could carry on a conversation and work through each one without much thought (and in my mind they were still quite mild)…
(To be continued…)