Emotional Signs of Labor {REAL moms share their experiences} |

Is being emotional an early sign of labor?

The days and hours leading up to labor can be a wild ride. Or you may not notice any unusual labor signs! It’s different for every woman.

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The night before going into labor with my son, I suddenly got really excited and happy. We drove to the grocery store and bought a pie and all sorts of junk food. I guess it was a subconscious “last hurrah,” if you will.

With my third baby, I was very worried about getting the floors cleaned. I couldn’t NOT do it. I was furiously vacuuming and mopping when my contractions started- guess my worry was there because I knew baby was on the way!

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What are signs of labor approaching?

The most common signs of labor approaching are:

Loss of mucus plug
Contractions
Water breaks
Bloody show
Weight loss
Cervix ripens
Nesting
Extreme fatigue
Diarrhea
Back pain

Here are some emotional signs of labor that real moms experienced in the days leading up to labor and delivery:

“The night before I went into labor with my second child, I had a dream about going into labor. It felt so real and I woke up sweating.”

–Mom Money Map

“I had a feeling my baby would be born on Easter. His due date was the following week, after Easter. I woke up in the middle of the night in labor and he was born at 9 AM Easter morning. Now he’s our Easter baby!”

–Mama Take Care

“The first time I went into labor with my daughter it was a really long and slow process, it took 28 hours for her to be born. The worst part of it was nausea in the hours leading up to labor, I couldn’t keep anything down for several hours. I had terrible dry mouth and it made it difficult to even speak to my husband and the nurses. Having the pain of contractions paired with nausea is very emotionally draining. My husband put on one of my favorite movies Breakfast at Tiffany’s and I cried so much at the end of the film, those pregnancy hormones will really make you tear up!”

–Gennifer Rose

“The day my first child was born I woke up and told my husband it was time to put my bag into the car. I had this inner feeling, I just knew. Everyone was looking at me funny but I was right, our son was born the same day.”

–Lil Tigers

“One of the labor signs that was really emotional for me was definitely the back pain, because this was the first major pain I started to feel during the pre-labor process. This was scary for me because the pain was one of the things that I feared the most about labor. I’ve never done well with pain, as I have a very low pain tolerance and I truly didn’t know how I was going to get through the pain. I was panicking, and I could feel my anxiety just getting more and more intense as the pain increased.”

–Motivation for Mom

“Prior to my water breaking with my second child I remember feeling so grumpy & on edge. At the time, I attributed my moodiness to the fact that I was super uncomfortable at 39+5 days or that my membrane sweep 2 days earlier was seemingly unsuccessful. In retrospect it was for sure an early labour sign – but little did I know my water was about to break and my sweet boy would be born 4 hours later!!”

–The Juneau Home

“I was nervous, very nervous. More so about things not going the way I wanted them too! I chewed my nails all the way down to the meat!”

–The Cagle Diaries

“I knew a few days before she arrived that the time was near. I excited and anxious and couldn’t get my house clean enough for her arrival. I would cry or laugh about the silliest things. I would talk to her as if I were convincing her if was safe to come out now even though I think I was trying to convince myself that it was safe enough to have her at home.”

–Awakening Radiance

Can stress and crying bring on labor?

In short?

No. Stress and crying isn’t likely to bring on labor. However, there was a study done on maternal stress and preterm labor:

“Women reporting higher levels of psychological stress during pregnancy are at significantly increased risk of preterm birth.”

If you’re stressed from a bad day, regular hormones from pregnancy or other pretty “normal” reasons- don’t worry about that bringing on labor.

They’re talking about severe emotional stress related to a traumatic experience.

Is it normal to cry during labor?

Yes, absolutely.

There are so many reasons you might end up shedding a few tears during labor and delivery:

The pain
A lack of sleep
Fear labor is taking too long or won’t end
Fear of the unknown

I know I cried at some point during all 3 of my labors. A big moment I remember is during my first labor- I got scared. So scared that it wouldn’t end. I was so close to begging for a c-section. But, I didn’t. And I made it through!

I also really remember a moment with my third baby- my contractions started before my water broke. At the hospital, they were putting an IV in with antibiotics when my water broke. For some reason, everything got very clear and I could smell, see and hear everything vividly when my water broke. I started bawling at that moment. It just felt really overwhelming and I had a thought pop up- “I’m not ready.”

But that one worked out too 🙂

What I’m saying is- yes, you may cry. It’s normal. You’re stronger than you know and you ARE going to get through it. With a beautiful little baby to boot.

How can I make myself go into labor right now?

If you’re at the end of your pregnancy journey (39 weeks)and want to make things move a little faster, you can try these tips:

Drink red raspberry leaf tea
Stimulate your nipples
Eat spicy food
Try clary sage oil
Exercise
Get your membranes stripped
Have sex

What causes labor to start?

Labor starting comes down to one thing-

Your baby being ready to be born!

“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.”

Does the baby move alot before labor?

Babies actually move less before labor begins and no one is really sure of why. There’s some speculation that it’s because baby is saving energy for being born.

Always make sure to call your doctor if your baby isn’t moving enough– you should still feel roughly 5 movements per hour. If it’s less, call.

Are most first time babies late or early?

First time babies are 15-16% more likely to be born late.

What are the chances baby will come early?

According to the data collected by the CDC, ninety percent of the 3.8 million babies were born between 37 and 41 weeks. About 10% were born early (before 37 weeks) and 6% were born late (over 41 weeks.)

Can you pass out while giving birth?

Fainting (or syncope) during labor is really uncommon. The chance of it happening to you isn’t likely but if you’re prone to fainting spells, make sure to mention it to your care provider so they can have oxygen ready for you.

Can my newborn feel my emotions?

Yes, they absolutely can. From birth, infants pick up on emotional cues and can tune in to those around them.

Some stress is okay- it motivates you to get things done and be responsible. But if you’re feeling anxious and seriously stressed out the majority of the time, it’s time to make changes to take the stress down.

If you’re wondering HOW to do that-

You’re the only one who knows the answer to that! Do you need more help with baby? Are there things you feel obligated to do but could stop doing? Do you need to get out of the house more?

Ask yourself what you need and then try to do that- you deserve it. Don’t put yourself dead last on your list. Having a newborn is a time where others come last- at least for a while.

What is the hardest part of childbirth?

Physically, the hardest part can be when your cervix is fully dilated and the contractions are coming every 2 minutes and last 90 seconds each.

It can also be when you have to push baby out- for some women this goes extraordinarily fast and they don’t tear.For others, it can take a while and cause tearing.

I’ve experienced both fast and slow pushing experiences. With my first baby, the pushing phase took about 30 minutes and I tore. I think I had to have 2-3 stitches.

With my second and third babies, pushing took less than 10 minutes each time. My son was 3 (!!) minutes of pushing.

RELATED: Fast Labor Tips

Emotionally, the hardest part of childbirth for me is fear of the unknown. There are so many variables and you never know what’s going to happen. And that’s why it’s so so important to trust in yourself. Trust in your nurses, doctors and midwives. Bring someone into the room that you trust completely.

You’re going to be okay, no matter what happens.