Weird signs labor is near

I've got an upset stomach – is this labour?

A dodgy tummy, particularly diarrhoea, can be a sign that early labour is imminent. It's thought to be nature's way of preparing your body for labour – by voiding yourself early doors, you're giving your body one less job to do.

Prostaglandins – hormones that are released during labour – are designed to soften everything up, and unfortunately this includes your rectum as well as the birth canal.

Interestingly, in days of yore, midwives would sometimes give women castor oil to loosen the bowels and bring on labour, so it works the other way round, too.

If you have an attack of the squits and are close to your due date, it might be more than over-indulgence the night before.

My back aches – is this labour?

Slightly different to 'normal' pregnancy backache – backache that heralds the start of labour tends to more of a niggling pain, a bit like period pain.

This can either go on for a few days, or it can start and then develop into contractions.

“I had a dull backache for a day or t