The closer you get to your due date, the more attuned you become to every change in your body — and that's completely normal. But how do you tell the difference between ordinary practice contractions and the real signs of labor that mean it's time to head in?
Key signs of true labor
- Regular contractions that grow stronger and gradually come closer together over time, and don't ease up with a change in position or rest.
- Pain that often starts in the lower back and sweeps forward across the whole belly like a wave.
- Loss of the mucus plug — a thick discharge that may be tinged with light streaks of blood.
- Your water breaking, whether as a sudden gush or a slow, steady trickle.
- A growing sense of pressure in the pelvis, as if the baby has dropped and settled lower.
When should you head to the hospital?
The well-known “5-1-1” rule is a helpful guide: head in once contractions are five minutes apart, each lasting about a minute, for at least a full hour. But call your doctor right away, without waiting for that rule, if your water breaks, you notice clear bleeding, or you feel a marked drop in your baby's movements.
Don't feel embarrassed calling even if it later turns out to be a false alarm — labor and delivery teams are completely used to it, and it's always better to be reassured than to sit in doubt and worry during this sensitive stretch.
