how do i know if i go into labor.

I am a first time mom to be and I am 31 weeks along and I live about an hour and a half away from the hospital if we speed to get there. I am afriad that I wont know when it starts. Many people have told me horror stories about there first baby coming early and Im afriad I wont make it to the hospital. I dont think my water broke but something happened yesterday that made me start wondering about how i will know. I was fixing to get in the shower and my husband and I had just made love and yes its goey down there but all of a sudden i like started to pee i guess. but i never made a conscienious desicion to pee. How do i know if my water breaks? And I've been having tons of cramps off and on and some sharp pains in my side a couple of times. How do I know what a contraction feels like? Everyone has told my oh you'll just know, but what if I dont!  My question is how do I tell if im going into labor?

[cocacolapanda]

Well, you will just know.  Some women will be in labor for a long time, others it will go very quickly.  Also Many women's water doesn't break until further along in labor.  With my first I was in labor (and knew I was in labor) for more than 24 hours and the dr actually broke my water.

During a contraction your entire belly gets hard, some women find they have a lot of pain with them in there belly and/or back.  If you feel anything like that then start timing to see how long they are and how far apart.  If they aren't regular then they might be Braxton Hicks Contractions or VERY VERY early labor.  They typically say when they are about 5 min apart is when to go to the hospital, but since your so far away you might want to think about starting to head there when there closer to 10 min apart.  Some hospitals will send you home if you are more than 5 min apart, ask your dr or hospital what they suggest (mention how far away you are).  Also, some dr's tell you to head to the hospital once your water breaks, so if you are one of the women who has there water break that's a sure sign to get in the car and head there.

[kiwi25]

If your water broke, it is clear liquid. You wont feel anything. It is almost like you pee, but you dont feel it come out of your urethra. I would go to the doctor just incase. Especially if the pains in your side persist. "Hard" labor contractions are'nt easy to ignore for most people. But some women have extremely easy labor and may not know the baby is coming.

[jade_and_janessas_mommy]

I don't want to worry your or anything but this was my experience just FYI-
I had NO IDEA I was in labor when it first started.  It didn't hurt, I had period cramps WAY worse than what I was feeling.  The only reason I finally went to the hospital was because my grandma insisted I go because we lived about an hour and a half away from the hospital.  I don't know if my water ever broke or not, I guess it did because the doctor didn't have to break my water.  All I know is I told the nurses at L&D what was going on and they told me to go to Wal-Mart and walk around for 2 hours and come back.  I walked for about 15 minutes and then suddenly I was in so much pain I knew I couldn't wait 2 hours.  My baby was born less than an hour later.  So, my advice would be when you think it might could maybe be labor, pay close attention to what is happening and to your body.  Call your doctor, and when in doubt GO to your doctor, no matter how far away it is.  If I hadn't have listened to my grandma, I might have given birth in her car or God only knows where.

Labor is different for everyone.  I am not so looking forward to laboring with baby number two in a few weeks, and I am hoping with fingers crossed that experience is as nice as the first.  Good luck and congrats on your baby!

[bjbbeauchamp]

Like cocacolapanda said you will just know. Each and every pregnancy and labor is different. I am pregnant with my 3rd and things have been so different from my 1st & 2nd! You will know about contractions b/c those hurt and don't go away if they are for real. I had them with my 2nd from 24 weeks on and I ended up in the hospital every week or two with them giving me meds to stop them. Your stomach will be so tight, it will be uncomfortable and then it will get soft again. Mine would always get so tight it would go more towards my right and would form this out of shape bump, weird, but that's how I knew I was having true contractions. My lower back hurt SO bad too and I had horrible period cramps that would NOT go away! I also felt yucky and just so tired from these contractions. With my both pregnancies my water had to be broken and I was 38 weeks with my 1st & 36 weeks with my 2nd. One of my friends had her water break while she was 37 weeks at home and she described it as a never ending flow of clear fluid. She told me once it started she thought it would stop, but it went on for a long time for her. But again everyone is different so I don't know if that is true for each and every person. I remember when my water was broken both times in the hospital as I was in the bed I felt a big gush of water and then some leaking for a little while after that. Hope this helps in some way. I would however call your doctor and at least describe what happened like you did to us and they might just have you come in to check you to make sure and be safe. But just don't ignore anything that causes any type of pain and that doesn't go away. Good luck!

[Clysta]

I'm not sure if you'll know for sure. Some women just don't have "normal" labour pains. My sister for example just had her baby. She never had regular contractions, and she wasn't in severe pain. In fact when we took her to the hospital she had small back twinges and that was it. Turns out she was having contractions, was 6cm dilated and in active labour. She just didn't feel them. Even the hospital was surprised. If you ever feel as though anything is wrong or doesn't feel right, always go to get seen.