Advice to help you recognise the early signs of the onset of
labour during pregnancy with information on imminent birth and
delivery.. Labour is the process through which your baby will be
born. For most women this happens when they are around 40 weeks
pregnant, but anything from 37 weeks to 42 weeks is considered
as being normal. With a first baby, from the first signs of
labour until the baby is born can quite easily be a full 24
hours. This is because labour tends to start gradually allowing
your baby time to adjust to what is happening. If you have
already experienced labour the womb seems to work differently.
The process of labour may still begin gradually but you will
usually deliver your baby much more quickly. Signs of the onset
of labour: - A show - This is the mucousy plug that sits in the
neck of the womb. As the neck of the womb begins to open this
mucus may be dislodged. The mucus may be clear, slightly brown
or pink. You may notice some streaks of blood. This is normal.
If there is more than jus