When did you know you were in proper labour

Mine started as period type cramps 15 mins apart but was not regular. By 4pm that day they were like 6 mins apart and pain was getting stronger. Feels like an intense period cramp. I was in established labour that evening x

lol my pregnancy was painful so I couldn’t differentiate. I lost my mucus plug on the Tuesday nd also Thursday of that week. I was due for induction on Friday at 39+1 so I had to go for checkup on Thursday for monitoring. I noticed I couldn’t walk and having pain I have always had. They were going to send me to l&d cos baby’s heart rate is not settling. But they decided to check me first nd said I was 4cm nd I wasn’t even in a lot of pain. 2 hours later I was 6cm. Still no pain nd the contractions were not coming closer. So they broke my water then 30 min later the real pain came in lol

I never made it to established Labour! Stated with contractions at 2cm and was in so much pain I went to hospital. They tried to give me pain relief but I was just throwing it back up. They ended up inducing me and then eventually a c section when I wouldn't progress quick enough past 4cm. I've never felt so much pain, I couldn't sit down, had to stand up keeled over a kitchen side. Gas and air did nothing but an epidural was the best thing I've ever had and I wanted a water birth originally 😅. Had the epidural and fell asleep 🤣. Contractions felt like the worst period pains I've ever had like x100

The contractions were regular in waves too, I just don't think my body was ready for labour.. just had no movement for hours and hours

Both my labours were so different

My first, waters broke followed with a stomach ache then the stomachs ache just got worse and lasted longer

My second, my plug came out with a bunch of blood had cramps in my butt every 10 mins otw to the hospital to check the bleeding. Turns out the cramps in my butt was me contracting and ended up pushing my waters to break and had my daughter 2 minutes after xx

I woke at 3am and went to the toilet with a bloody show. Around 45 mins later I had constant period type cramping that every now and again felt like it got stronger for a minute or two before phasing off … this stage lasted for around 1/2 hours and then they really intensified to make me uncomfortable and fidgety and we started timing them.

When they got to every 5 minutes around 11:30 I called triage and went in for an exam and was 3cm dilated and still had my waters. Advised to go home if I felt comfortable as still classed as the ‘latent phase of labour’ and manage as best I could until I felt I couldn’t or my waters broke! I was given dehydracodine by midwife before leaving (didn’t remotely help)

Around 3:30pm the contractions where every 3:30/4 minutes and where strong and I could no longer seek relief in the bath or with tens/hot water bottles etc so headed to triage without calling ahead.

Another exam and I was 4cm so they were happy to admit me to labour and delivery!

Admitted at 4pm - straight into a birth pool with gas and air! At 8:30pm and 7cm my waters broke and 14 minutes later I was a 10cm and baby was here!

Everyone is different, I didn’t get any back pain or leg pains just intense period type cramping that for around 12 hours I was able to manage on my own with various techniques …. It’s hard to know for sure but you know your own body and it really is a case of ‘you will just know’ … something in you feels different and you know it’s full steam ahead xx