Emotional Signs Labor Is Approaching

As the body prepares to go into labor, the pregnancy hormones women have become accustomed to begin to change. When this happens, women can find themselves dealing with a whole host of emotions that they never felt at any other time during pregnancy. Because of this, how mothers-to-be deal with situations can change at the drop of a hat. And what is worse is that those expecting cannot tell when their emotions are going to change. Which can make for a frustrating situation with the array of emotions being felt. All of which are emotional signs that labor is approaching.

While there are physical signs that the body is going into labor such as losing the mucus plug, contractions, nesting, upset stomach, and back pain, just to name a few, less attention is paid to the emotional changes that happen in the day or two before labor begins. This could be because women’s emotions are only subtly changing. Perhaps they have been dealing with a rollercoaster of emotions during the pregnancy and it is hard to see the emotional changes happening. But if close attention is paid, different emotional states can be witnessed. This may help women to feel a bit better about not being in control of their emotions, knowing that their pregnancy journey is about to come to an end, with the journey of motherhood about to begin.

RELATED: How Your Emotions Change Through Every Stage Of Pregnancy

Here are emotional signs that labor is approaching.

10 Feelings Of Anxiety

In the days leading up to labor, women may begin to feel anxious about delivering their babies. Something that is completely normal and should not be a cause of alarm for those expecting.

According to Orlando Health, the reasons that women feel anxiety as they get close to the date for labor include:

It boils down to not being in control and having unknowns that can cause women to be anxious. But the good news is when labor and delivery are over, hormones begin to return to pre-pregnancy levels. And when that happens, anxiety should subside.

9 Weepy

Feeling teary or weepy shortly before labor begins is another emotion that pregnant women can look forward to, thanks to hormones. Because of them, watching a commercial, reading a book, or even looking at a sunset can cause tears to flow.

Seeing babies for the first time can also bring about the waterworks. But women may feel better about the tears being shed given that there is a good reason for crying, versus not knowing why crying is happening at all.

8 Being Impatient

Having waited nearly nine months to get to the stage where babies are just hours from being born can make women experience impatience. This is especially true of women who have dealt with pain and discomfort for a portion of the pregnancy.

According to Lamaze International, women may carry on their feelings of impatience through the beginning stages of labor. This is because the first stage of labor is the longest. And just waiting with the occasional contraction for babies to be born can become frustrating to deal with.

7 Anger

During the course of pregnancy, women may have found that they became angrier easier than they would have before their hormones spiked, according to VeryWell Family. If this is the case, they are likely to experience bouts of anger in the hours before they start active labor.

6 Nervousness

As the pregnancy gets ready to transition to the stage of going into labor, women may experience feelings of nervousness never felt before. Something that can be unsettling if women are not sure why they feel this way.

According to What To Expect, reasons that mothers-to-be begin to experience nervousness in the days before labor include:

• Not making it to the hospital before babies are born

• Nervous about pooping when pushing

• Nervous about having an epidural

• Nervous episiotomy will be needed

• Nervous about labor pain itself

• Nervous a C-section will be needed

If women are experiencing these fears, reaching out to a healthcare provider is recommended so that they can be talked through and women better understand what to expect when they go through the labor and delivery process.

5 Feeling Blue

Hormones have begun to decrease at lightning speed yet, given that babies have not been delivered. But that does not mean that changes in hormones have not started. And because of this, women can find themselves feeling a bit blue in the days leading up to labor.

Something that can be unexpected given that women think they are supposed to be nothing but smiles and sunshine right before their babies are born.

4 Moody

If there was ever a time for mood swings, a good time appears to be in the day or two before women go into labor, according to The Swaddle.

Again, it is the hormones that are to blame. Meaning that once the pregnancy is over and babies are born, the moodiness will subside. And women will feel like themselves again.

3 Overwhelmed

Feeling overwhelmed is an emotion that healthcare providers look for in new moms that may indicate that postpartum depression is afoot, according to Texas Children’s Hospital. But, feeling overwhelmed can be felt in the days before women go into labor as a result of feeling like there is too much to do before babies are born.

2 Scared

It is normal for women to be afraid of childbirth, according to PregnancyBirth&Baby. And while those feelings may be rearing their ugly head in the days before labor, there are ways to manage them.

The ways to manage being scared in the days before labor, per the publication include:

• Practicing relaxation techniques

• Practicing meditation

• Practicing yoga

• Eating healthy

• Exercising

• Speaking to a doctor or midwife about fears

By doing these things, fears should be eased and the level of fear that those expecting are experiencing should decrease as well.

1 Excited

All the feelings that women have in the days before labor begins are not all bad. Many women feel excited as well. All because in just a matter of hours, they will begin to feel contractions. And when this happens, the birth of babies is not far behind.

Source: Orlando Health, Lamaze International, VeryWell Family, What To Expect, The Swaddle, Texas Children’s Hospital, PregnancyBirth&Baby