It is hard for any mother or mother-to-be to be sure when she is going into labor. Many signs that indicate the baby’s birth can easily be misinterpreted, leading some to believe that the baby is on its way when it isn’t, or may think the baby isn’t on its way when it is. There are many signs that a women is going into labor, such as their water breaking, of feeling contractions, it is also common for women to experience diarrhea before labor.

Why Do You Have Diarrhea Before Labor?

During the onset of your labor and in its early stages, your body begins to release a substance called prostaglandins, these are hormone-like substances that help to soften and dilate the cervix, as well as cause contraction of the uterus. Prostaglandins can also affect your bowels, causing over-stimulation that can lead to frequent stools and possible diarrhea. There is a reason your body does this, the emptying of your bowels makes way for the baby that is soon to arrive.

Diarrhea before labor can help to avoid the common occurrence of a person passing stools during labor, although this is not always the case and it is possible for a women to experience both (although many never know as the stools are quickly attended to by the midwives).

What to do:

There are steps that you can take to help dealing with it better, the most important one being ensuring to remain hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Also, ensure to eat light meals, enough to keep your strengths, but not enough to exacerbate the issue. This means avoiding consuming anything with a high fat, fiber, and acidic content. The final point is ensure that you remain calm – and, if need be, near a toilet.

What Are Other Signs of Early Labor? 

Besides diarrhea before labor, there are other sure signs that the baby is on the way:

1.     Lightening

In preparation for delivery, your babies head lowers into your pelvis. This can be felt by an increased need to urinate, as the baby rests upon your bladder. It may also be met with an increased ease in breathing, as your baby moves away from your lungs, your belly may also lower. Lightening can happen a few hours before labor begins, or even a few weeks. This is also known as ‘engagement’.

2.     Bloody Show

This is the release of a brownish/blood-tinged discharge, and can happen at the onset of labor, or days before. This discharge is a result of the release of the mucus plug that has protected your uterus from infection during pregnancy.

3.     Ruptured Movements

Also known as ‘water breaking’, this is when liquid leaks from the vagina as a result of ruptured membranes of the amniotic sac. Most commonly, women will go into labor no more than twenty-four hours after their water has broke, any longer than this then is common for doctors to induce labor, in order to avoid any complications and infections.

4.     Frequent Contractions

Many women experience contractions before the onset of labor, and this is not always a sign that the baby is on its way. Usually, systematic contractions with intervals of ten minutes or less indicated the onset of labor.

5.     Weight Loss

It is typical for women to experience a loss of weight up to a week before the onset of labor (usually around one to three pounds of weight is lost). This is due to the loss of fluids that have been stored in your tissues.

6.     Backache

Some women may experience infrequent, dull back aches before the onset of labor.

7.     Burst of Energy

Some women have stated to feel a sudden burst of energy around twenty-four to forty-eight hours before the onset of labor. It is also called Nesting. This extra-energy is nature’s way of helping you get through labor, so try to avoid tiring yourself before labor.

What Other People Have Experienced

Let’s learn if other moms have experienced diarrhea before labor and what it feels like:

“I was ecstatic when my stools became loose, as I knew my body was clearing it self out in preparation for my baby to arrive. A week after, I went into labor, the day before that happened I felt tremendously lethargic.”

“I never had extreme, explosive diarrhea during my first pregnancy, although I did experience loose stools and a loss of appetite. Now my second’s on the way, due in five weeks, and I’m beginning to feel the same way.”

“I’ve had diarrhea for more than a week and my third child still hasn’t arrived. With my first two, I was terribly constipated. All I can do is reserve my energy and remain calm, and wish luck to anyone else in the same situation”

“I personally had diarrhea a few hours before going into labor with both of my children. I have also met and spoke with women who experience diarrhea a few days before labor, sometimes even a couple of weeks before. It makes sense to clear your bowels before pushing out a baby, to avoid making a tremendous mess.”