Wheather your first baby or subsequent babies trust your instinct. If you feel like "something" is going on wheather it is labor or something else go check it out.

Some women don't always get a clear read "when it is time". For healthy young women the early signs can be pretty subtle. Early labor is not really that dramatic. Sometimes you even have a burst of energy that many women feel "frisky", the desire to clean (nesting), or and intense desire to pace. As long as you don't over do it and exhaust yourself it can actually help the needed muscles to warm up and clear your mind so you can focus on the job that you are going to do.

Eat and drink litely. Avoid smoking if you do. Follow any special directions that your OBGYN may have given you. Resting with your feet elevated is not a bad idea. Labor and your first few days with a newborn is a marathon; pace yourself.

If you don't have immediate access to your maternity hospital because of weather, distance, or even transportation there is nothing wrong with going early and setting in a ER lobby and reading your "What to Expect when you are Expecting (a great reference) or writing your baby a letter. It is comforting and won't cost you anything to feel secure.

My feeling is you are going to be a fantastic Mommy and your delivery is not going to be all that tough. You are a smart, prepared, and thoughtful adult and feeling scared is normal respect for the experience ahead of you and actually a good sign. (((HUGS))) Grandma Joy

when I go into labor? the thought scares me, but i need to know because my due date is coming up closer.

Your abdomen will start to shift under your skin. Your chest will explode. And an alien will burst out of your chest, where it will scurry to a dark secluded place where it will grow and surely terrorize us all.

Oops... that's from that one chest-burster scene from "Alien".

when I go into labor? the thought scares me, but i need to know because my due date is coming up closer.