How does childbirth begin?

Labour technically began a few weeks ago, when your hormones started to soften up your cervix. Early labour pain often arrives then, and continues until it’s eventually time – the baby is ready to join us in the world! But sometimes it can be tricky to determine when it’s time to go to the hospital – so it helps to know what to look for.

Signs that you’re going into labour soon:

• The cervix starts to open (which can’t be seen or felt)
• Loss of the mucus plug (which is easy to miss – and it can reform)
• Loose stool (which doesn’t happen to everyone – or you might just have it anyway)
• Your water breaks (which doesn’t always happen, and sometimes doesn’t happen until the end of labour)
• Early labour pain (which could happen a few days before it’s time, or might not happen at all)

So: these signs are very uncertain. You can’t see if your cervix has started to open. The mucus plug could come out and then reform, and diarrhoea can happen for any number of reasons. If your water breaks, or if you suspect it did, you should always contact the maternity ward. It’s also far from certain that your water will break until during or the end of labour – so don’t sit around waiting for this to happen. Early labour pain are the key factor that lets you know things are underway, but not everyone gets them. If they do occur, they generally begin from a few days to a day or so before it’s time, and gradually evolve into proper contractions. Once that happens, it’s a sure sign that labour is underway and your baby is coming.

Sure signs that childbirth has started:

• Regular contractions, about 3 every 10 minutes

When do I call the maternity ward?

The magic number for going in to the maternity ward is generally 3 contractions in 10 minutes, if this is your first baby. The contractions should also be fairly regular and about a minute long each. If this isn’t your first baby, you’ll go in a little sooner: generally, 2 regular and painful contractions in 10 minutes. Our app has a contraction timer to help you keep track. Once you’re having three contractions (two if this isn’t your first baby) in the course of 10 minutes, it’s time to call the maternity ward to see if it’s time to come in.

Until that point, it’s common to be at home and to try to manage the pain with heat, massage, or over-the-counter painkillers. Home is generally where you will feel best and most secure – but of course, some people prefer to go into the hospital as quickly as possible. This is an individual preference and can vary a lot – there is no right or wrong!

Your water breaks – no sure sign

In the movies, childbirth often begins when the mother’s water breaks. This looks dramatic, but in reality, it’s usually a much more gradual development. It’s more of a trickle than a gush, sometimes because the baby’s head is blocking the birth canal. But quite often, the delivery process can also begin without your water breaking. So you shouldn’t sit around waiting for a splash. Instead, watch for those contractions; they should be regular and gradually become stronger and increasingly frequent.

Only about 5% of babies are born on their due date

Your baby may arrive a few weeks before or after your expected due date. During the weeks around that date, be prepared for the fact that childbirth could begin – and it could happen when you least expect it.
However, some babies come several weeks early, and some don’t want to come out at all. If the latter is the case, labour may be induced. It isn’t dangerous to be induced, but it might not be fun to have to wait a long time for the baby.

Please note that all information above is based on Swedish recommendations.