Labour Signs to Watch For: How to Know Your Body Is Getting Ready for Delivery

Week 35 is the week when every twinge, every new sensation, and every change in your body gets Googled. "Is this labour?" is probably the most searched question by women in the final weeks of pregnancy.

Here is your comprehensive, plain-language guide to recognizing the signs that your baby is coming and understanding the difference between "getting ready" signs and "it is actually happening" signs.

Pre-labour signs: your body is getting ready (but not necessarily imminently)

1. Baby drops lower (lightening)

In the weeks before labour, especially in first-time mothers, the baby's head descends into the pelvis. You might notice:

• Your bump looks lower or "dropped"
• You can breathe more easily (less pressure on the lungs)
• More pressure in the pelvis and the need to urinate more frequently
• A waddling walk becomes more pronounced

In first pregnancies, this "lightening" can happen 2-4 weeks before labour. In subsequent pregnancies, it often does not happen until labour begins.

2. Loss of the mucus plug

Throughout pregnancy, a thick plug of mucus seals the cervix to protect the baby from infection. As the cervix begins to soften and open in preparation for labour, this plug is expelled.

You may notice: A blob of thick, jelly-like, clear, pink, or brownish mucus discharge. This is called the "show" or "bloody show."

Does it mean labour is starting? Not necessarily immediately. Some women lose the mucus plug days or even weeks before labour begins. However, it is a sign that your cervix is changing progress is happening.

3. Increased Braxton Hicks frequency

Practice contractions become more frequent and may feel stronger in the final weeks. This is your uterus fine-tuning its contracting ability for the real event.

4. Diarrhoea or loose stools

As labour approaches, prostaglandins (hormones that trigger uterine contractions) can also affect the bowel, causing loose stools or diarrhoea. Nature's way of clearing out to make room for the baby's descent.

5. Nesting instinct

Many women describe a sudden urge to clean, organise, and prepare everything in the final days before labour. This is well-documented and completely normal. Honour it but do not exhaust yourself.

Source: NHS UK – Signs of Labour | American College of Nurse-Midwives

True labour signs: this is actually happening

1. Regular, increasing contractions

The clearest sign of true labour. Real labour contractions:

• Come at regular intervals every 5–10 minutes initially
• Get closer together over time (5 minutes apart, then 4, then 3)
• Get stronger and longer with each wave
• Do not ease when you walk around or change position
• Feel like a wave building, peaking, and releasing

2. Waters breaking

The amniotic sac rupturing releases amniotic fluid into the baby's water. This can happen as:

• A sudden gush of clear or slightly pink liquid unmistakable
• A slow trickle that does not stop (not the same as urine leaking)

When your waters break: Call your doctor or go to the hospital immediately, regardless of whether contractions have started. The baby is now no longer protected from infection. Note the time, colour (should be clear or slightly pink not green or brown), and amount.

Source: FOGSI – Management of Labour: Indian Guidelines | NHS

When to go to the hospital

The general guideline for first-time mothers: Go to hospital when contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each, for at least 1 hour (the "5-1-1 rule"). For women who have delivered before, contractions tend to progress faster your doctor may advise going in earlier.

Go immediately if: Waters have broken, there is heavy bleeding, you feel the baby is not moving, or something feels very wrong. Trust your instinct.

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