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LaborWeeks 36–42

What Are the Signs That Labor Is Starting, and When Should You Call?

Regular contractions, losing your mucus plug, your water breaking and your baby dropping lower can all mean labor is near. You may not notice all of them.

  • MyPregnancy editorial
  • Updated
  • 1 min read
  • 4 sources

Not yet medically reviewed. This article sums up published guidance from the sources at the end. It is not medical advice: follow your own midwife or doctor.

On this page
  1. What contractions feel like
  2. Before your due date
  3. When to call
A pregnant woman in a green dress holding her belly in front of a wooden door.
Photo by Camylla Battani on Unsplash

Nobody can say exactly when labor will start, though most births happen between 38 and 41 weeks. Certain changes may signal that it is beginning. You might notice some of them before labor starts, or none at all.

  • Lightening: the baby drops lower into your pelvis and you may feel lighter. This can happen anywhere from weeks to hours before labor starts
  • Loss of the mucus plug: your discharge may increase and look clear, pink or a little bloody
  • Your water breaking: fluid trickles or gushes from your vagina. Call your provider and follow their instructions
  • Contractions: pain in your back or pelvis, a bit like menstrual cramps, coming at regular times and closer together as time passes

What contractions feel like

Your abdomen goes hard while your uterus contracts, then softens again in the gaps between.

Timing them shows whether they are coming at regular times and getting closer together. The contraction timer records how long each one lasts and the gap between them.

Before your due date

Well before your due date, ask your provider when they want you to call, how to reach them after office hours, and whether you should call first before you come in.

When to call

If you think labor has started, or you are not sure, call your provider.

Sources

  1. NHSSigns that labour has begun
  2. NHSThe stages of labour and birth
  3. ACOGHow to Tell When Labor Begins
  4. ACOGPreterm Labor and Birth

Last checked .

Written by the MyPregnancy editorial team from the sources above.

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