The Uncomfortable Signs of Labor at week 38 Many women experience nausea, indigestion, vomiting, and diarrhea or flu-like symptoms without fever. If you experience these symptoms, be sure to let your doctor know. Excessive symptoms could lead to severe dehydration, which isn't ideal leading up to labor.
But many women experience gastrointestinal upset late in the third trimester as well, and wonder, “Is diarrhea a sign of labor?” or maybe, “Is nausea a sign of labor?” Nausea and vomiting in the final weeks of pregnancy happen mostly because baby is growing and the uterus crowds into the space of the GI tract (stomach ...
Nausea and vomiting can also be early signs of labor.
Some women may feel nauseated a day or so before labor starts, and others may experience nausea as active labor begins. Once labor starts, the digestion process usually stops, so if the mother has a full stomach when labor begins, nausea may occur.
Possible signs of labour
During the early stages of labour, you may experience the following: Feeling sick or nauseous.
Irregular contractions are not the same timing, duration, or strength as each other. They are common in early labor, as active labor is approaching. They are usually one of the strong signs labor is 24-48 hours away. Irregular contractions can feel like your belly is tightening, with cramping lower in your pelvis.
Some women report feeling nauseated during labor and others say they were nauseated a day or two before going into labor. When labor begins, digestion slows or stops, and you may feel sick to your stomach. More often, nausea happens during active labor.
You might notice a change in the discharge from your vagina or a few cramps in your abdomen. You may have a low, dull ache in your back that can come and go. You may also feel pressure in your vagina or back passage. As the big day gets nearer, you may experience more definite early signs of labour.
If you feel sensations of stomach tightening or hardness that come and go, it could be Braxton Hicks contractions. These practice contractions are very normal and prepare your body for labor.
Researchers now believe that when a baby is ready for life outside his mother's uterus, his body releases a tiny amount of a substance that signals the mother's hormones to begin labor (Condon, Jeyasuria, Faust, & Mendelson, 2004). In most cases, your labor will begin only when both your body and your baby are ready.
Triggers of Braxton Hicks Contractions
Dehydration is the most common cause of Braxton Hicks contractions. Other triggers include: Illness that causes nausea or vomiting.
Hyperemesis can persist into the third trimester. Your changing body. Nausea and vomiting can happen simply by the added pressure of the growing baby on your internal organs. If the uterus is pressed up against the stomach or diaphragm, you can have excess nausea you wouldn't have earlier in your pregnancy.
Symptoms that typically start earlier in pregnancy, such as nausea, vomiting (morning sickness), and fatigue, usually improve but may continue into the third trimester for some women. Morning sickness can persist into the third trimester in 15%-20% of women and until delivery in 5% of women.
Call your doctor if: You have symptoms of moderate dehydration. Vomiting is so severe that you are not able to drink fluids. Your vomiting has not gotten better with home treatment.
Very active baby before labor
Some women experience their baby moving a lot in the run-up to labor. One theory for this is the increase in Braxton Hicks contractions. As your body prepares for labor and birth, you might start to experience a greater frequency of Braxton Hicks contractions.
Nausea, or loose stools
Thought nausea was just in the first trimester? Unfortunately, some women experience it again as labour nears. You might also notice loose stools or diarrhea—all of your muscles start to loosen as you approach labour, and your rectum is one of them (though not every woman will experience this).
While there is no way to know when labor is 24 to 48 hours away, labor signs include a bloody show, Braxton Hicks contractions, labor contractions, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, lower back pain, rupture of the amniotic sac (“water breaking”), and nesting instinct.
If you have any of these signs or symptoms before your 37th week of pregnancy, you may be experiencing preterm labor: Change in your vaginal discharge (watery, mucus or bloody) or more vaginal discharge than usual. Pressure in your pelvis or lower belly, like your baby is pushing down. Constant low, dull backache.
You may lose your appetite and feel or be sick, as your body clears your digestive system, ready for concentrating on your baby's arrival (Gross et al 2010, Janssen et al 2009). Once you're in active labour, you can move to your place of birth, or a midwife can stay with you if you're having your baby at home.
“Vaginal discharge increases to thick and white as the cervix softens, or when you lose your mucus plug prior to labor,” OB/GYN Dr. Taraneh Shirazian M.D. tells Romper. “This change is due the changing hormone levels in pregnancy.”
These might include feeling sick, diarrhoea or an unusual pain in the lower back. Keep in mind, some symptoms that you may experience at around 39 weeks pregnant should never be ignored, as they could be a warning sign of a problem that needs immediate attention.