As you approach the end of your pregnancy you’ll probably begin feeling a bit anxious about getting the “show on the road”. By the time the eighth month of your pregnancy rolls around you may feel like you’ve been pregnant your whole life. Waiting for the “big day” can be hard. You’re ready to meet this little person you’ve been carrying around inside of you for almost nine months, and you’re probably more than a little sick of being pregnant.

Late pregnancy can be difficult and uncomfortable for a lot of women. The baby is taking up a lot of space in there and weighing pretty heavy on those poor lower back and pelvic floor muscles. Many of the pains of late pregnancy are often mistaken for early signs of labor. It may be a little bit of wishful thinking, but it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between a common late pregnancy symptom and early labor.

Here are a few common late pregnancy symptoms that are often mistaken for early signs of labor.

  • Increased pressure (and sometimes pain) in the pelvic area. As the baby moves down or drops the pressure and pain you feel may increase. This can happen as early as several weeks before labor begins.
  • Braxton Hicks contractions. These contractions have been going on since very early on in your pregnancy. The farther along you are the more you will feel them. Sometimes they even hurt.
  • A change in your appetite. As the baby begins to take up more and more space in there your stomach has less room to expand and you may find you are eating much less now.
  • Nausea. Some women experience this towards the end of their pregnancies due to changes in hormones, pressure on the stomach and intestines, or changes in their diet.
  • Increase in vaginal discharge. Some women pass their mucus plug as early as several weeks before actual labor begins.

If you have any questions about something you are experiencing be sure to call your doctor. It is always better to run it by him or her to be safe. Early signs of actual labor include; rupturing of your membranes (water breaking), contractions that increase in severity and frequency, and bloody show or spotting.

Don’t worry labor will begin sooner or later for you. Although it may feel like the baby will just live in there forever, he or she will make an appearence soon.

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