so as you are approaching your due date you're likely looking for signs that labor is
close and there are a lot of signs that can give us some hints that labor might be coming soon
but there are really only three signs three that tell you that you were actually in labor
now these three signs all have to do with contractions that are progressing
so the first sign is when you are experiencing contractions that are getting longer
so if you're experiencing contractions and maybe you're feeling some kind of sensations
or crampiness if these are lasting longer over time then you are experiencing this first sign
so what i mean by this is if the start of this sensation this contraction crampiness through
the end of this sensation if that period of time is getting longer check this is the first sign
now by the way if this sensation doesn't have a definite start and a definite end it's really
not labor we got to wait for that to happen so these contractions should be getting longer now
an example of this would be maybe contractions start and they're lasting about 10 seconds or so
time goes on you notice they're lasting 30 seconds more time goes on and then they're at a minute
so the second sign is when we see contractions getting stronger
so what that means is these sensations that you're experiencing are more intense as time goes by
so let's say when they start you can easily talk through them the whole time then after a while
when the contractions start you kind of have to pause a little bit or maybe things don't feel
as easy as they were and then as more time goes by you actually have to stop all together and breathe
through them this is an example of contractions getting stronger and this is labor sign number two
you are in labor the third sign is when contractions are getting closer together
so that means these sensations that you're feeling are coming more frequently so that
means the start of one contraction to the start of another contraction is actually shorter so here's
an example of this they might start out and they might not really have a pattern or they might be
really spaced apart like more than 20 minutes or or so then as time goes on you notice they're
coming closer to a 10 minute interval and then more time passes and you notice they're coming
about five minutes apart perfect examples of contractions that are getting closer together now
these three signs together mean that you are absolutely in labor
now if you're wondering what about the water breaking then yes i'm glad you're asking that
you are right this is kind of an interesting sign if your water breaks separate from these three
signs happening you will be on your way to labor whether it starts on its own or your health care
provider starts labor for you you will be on your way to a baby but it's not a sign that you are
actually in labor you might be in labor you might be not you might need help getting into labor
and if you're wondering about all those other little signs like the mucus plug baby dropping
diarrhea nesting well those all fall into a maybe category by this i mean signs that
tell us that labor might be close or your body are starting to prep for labor but it doesn't
mean necessarily that you are in labor now if you say these three signs quickly with me you
can easily remember them ready longer stronger closer together longer stronger closer together
that means you're in labor now the next step that i highly recommend is to share this video with
your partner because having you on the same team is super beneficial when you start feeling things
also so that you will be ready when your contractions are longer stronger and
closer together i highly recommend that you check out this video here because
i know it will help you feel more confident for the big day see you next time bye everybody
you