Is Nausea A Sign Of Labor? How to Tell If It Really Is

If you are in your third trimester, the big day is coming. The thing you have to do is trust your body. Your body carried your baby for nine months; it went through changes and preparation to develop the baby successfully and deliver it successfully. How do you know that your labor will begin? Is nausea a sign of labor? What are the other characters?

In this article, I will address those questions to help you in your labor preparation. Like most mothers would say, you can never really standardize the feelings and experiences you get at this stage of pregnancy.

The factors that can affect the course of your labor are your nutrition, health, shape, and size of your pelvis, presentation of baby, and course your preparations like relaxation and practice of exercise. The emotional response people will give you also affects the course of your labor.

Is Nausea a Sign of Labor?

Every woman’s labor is unique. An experience of one is different from another due to the factors I mentioned earlier. No one can tell you or explain what it would be like exactly. However, there are signs before labor that tell you it’s already approaching. Remember, as we see on the big screen, one of the few first signs doesn’t directly involve agonizing contractions and water breaking.

One of the signs that your labor is approaching is nausea or a nauseous sensation. It is usually accompanied by indigestion and vomiting, commonly one day or so before your labor begins. You will experience loose bowel movements and other flu-like symptoms; it’s like having a fever without a fever.

One of the women’s experiences is that they had a headache on this particular day, which turned into a migraine. By the next day, they woke up feeling crappy and vomiting. Then, there’s nausea that doesn’t get off quickly. They usually have cramps after the nauseous sensation; sickness is back again, then loose bowel movements.

Nausea is a sign of labor coupled with another sick feeling because the body is cleansing itself before the labor. However, the labor is not as close as expected, like 5 or 6 hours away. To make sure, you can call the hospital.

Other First Signs of Labor

1. Back Pain

Back pains are typical to experience during the pregnancy because of the softening of tissues and muscles due to hormonal levels. But when labor begins, pronounced back pain could also pulse with the contractions.

2. Contractions

Regular and robust contractions are the most tell-tale sign of pregnancy. Labor contractions usually last for more than 30 seconds, and it frequently comes back every 4-5 minutes. If the contractions become patterned, labor could be approaching.

3. Feeling of Pressure/Fullness

If the baby is ready to be born, pressure will be felt. One of the signs of this pressure is the feeling of having a bowel movement.

4. Drop off the Pregnant Tummy

If you are on the last days of your pregnancy, your tummy will drop. The drop will relieve the pressure on the lungs and stomach to make the mother breathe and eat quickly.

5. Loss of Cervical Plug

There is a plug that blocks the end of the cervix, and before labor is usually falling out, but not necessarily always and to all women. Losing that plug might mean that you will go into labor soon, though the loss of the cervical plug can happen many days before the actual labor. Sometimes the pin is lost while going to the bathroom, but it can be seen in your panties.

6. Breaking the Bag of Waters

If labor is about to happen, the amniotic sac will break or leak. If water or fluid is leaking from your vagina, it’s urgent to tell the obstetrician immediately. Once it is damaged, birth is the only option.

7. Cramping and Bloody Discharge

One of the first labor pains or signs is menstrual cramps. If you notice a bloody discharge, this could be due to the loss of the cervical plug.

Final Thought

Let’s recap it again. Nausea is a sign of labor, with a couple of other things like water breaking, cramps, loss of cervical plug, and others I already mentioned. I hope that the information I shared with you is informative enough. Again, I will emphasize that labor is different from one woman to another.

You have to prepare yourself for the process, and of course, you need the emotional response you will need. Labor is painful, which is only an understatement of the whole experience. But after it, seeing your baby is the most beautiful feeling there is.

If you like this article, please let me know, or if you want to share your labor experience, don’t hesitate to write it in the comment section below.