Several signs can indicate the start of labor, including many physical changes that occur as your body prepares for delivery.
Congratulations, mama. You’re in the home stretch! If you’re like most pregnant people, at this point, you’re probably feeling excitement, nerves, fatigue, and SO over being pregnant.
As the countdown to birth begins, some signs that labor is 24 to 48 hours away can include low back pain, weight loss — and of course, your water breaking.
But since labor differs for everyone, what you experience in the final hours of pregnancy might be different from what another pregnant person experiences.
Although you can’t predict the day and hour of labor, you can watch for signs that delivery is nearing. Here’s what you can expect when labor is 24 to 48 hours away:
One obvious sign indicating the start of labor is your water breaking, or more specifically, the rupture of your amniotic sac. This fluid-filled sac protects your baby as it grows and develops, but it will rupture in preparation for the delivery, either naturally or artificially, by your doctor.
When your water breaks naturally, it’s likely due to your baby’s head putting increased pressure on the sac.
Some individuals experience a gush of water, but water breaking isn’t always as dramatic as it’s depicted on television. Others only notice a trickle of water or a feeling of wetness in their underwear.
The mucus plug is a thick collection of mucus that seals the opening of the cervix. This stops bacteria from entering your uterus, but once labor nears, this plug loosens and drops out.
You may drop a glob of mucus in the toilet after using the restroom, or notice mucus on your underwear or while wiping after urinating.
The color of the mucus varies from clear to pink, and it can also contain traces of blood — but don’t be alarmed. This is typical and known as the “bloody show.”
Losing the mucus plug is your body‘s way of getting ready to deliver. It’s possible to lose the mucus plug weeks before going into labor, but it often happens days or hours before labor.
As an expecting mother, you might not expect any weight loss until after delivery. But it’s not uncommon to lose 1 to 3 pounds of weight 1 to 2 days before going into labor.
This is not fat loss, though. Instead, it’s your body shedding excess water weight. It can happen due to less amniotic fluid toward the end of your pregnancy and increased urination as your “baby drops” in preparation for labor.
The baby moving to a lower position puts added pressure on your bladder, resulting in more frequent trips to the bathroom.
The nesting instinct — an overwhelming desire to prepare the house for a baby — is common during the third trimester.
You might start cleaning, organizing, setting up the nursery, and making sure everything is just perfect. But about 24 to 48 hours before labor, your body might go into panic mode, in which case you have a sudden burst of energy and an increased drive to clean and organize.
Some expecting mothers obsess over their hospital bag, rearrange their nursery, or commit to making sure that they remove every trace of dust from their home.
Back pain is common during pregnancy due to joints and ligaments naturally loosening in preparation for labor. But while you should expect some aches during pregnancy, pre-labor back pain is different and more uncomfortable.
When labor is 24 to 48 hours away, pain might worsen in the lower back and radiate to your pelvis area. Changing position doesn’t provide relief, and the pain often remains until after delivery.
Braxton-Hicks contractions, or false labor pains, can start weeks or months before actual labor. They occur as your uterine muscles prepare for delivery. But while these contractions are uncomfortable, they’re typically milder than actual labor contractions and only last a few seconds.
Real contractions, on the other hand, are stronger in intensity, more frequent, and can last longer than a minute. When contractions start to occur every 4 to 5 minutes, you can expect labor within 1 to 2 days.
The end of pregnancy signals your body to release more of the hormone relaxin, which loosens your joints and ligaments in preparation for delivery.
A few days before labor, you may notice looser, more relaxed joints in your pelvis and lower back. You might also experience an unexpected side effect of relaxin — diarrhea. This can happen as the muscles around your rectum relax.
Shortly before labor, you may feel less weight in your abdomen as the baby drops away from your diaphragm and lower in your pelvis in preparation for labor and birth.
The last month of pregnancy is a time of mixed emotions. It’s part excitement and part anticipation as you wait for your baby to make their appearance.
Labor is something you can’t predict. But if you pay attention to your body, it’ll provide clues that you’re 1 or 2 days away from your newest adventure.