Early labor during pregnancy is an early phase of labor which not many women realize until it ends. Ignoring contractions is a common mistake made by many women which results in early labor. Contractions are generally less than 10 minutes apart and last for 45-60 seconds. Some women might experience more frequent contractions, though they are mild and last for few seconds. With time, these contractions get stronger, longer, and closer together. With contractions you might feel pressure in the pelvis, backache or menstrual cramping. And all this can result in early labor during pregnancy.

Mild contractions might start when you are sleeping. Knowing this fact makes the women too excited or too nervous to sleep. And lack of sound sleep results in beginning their labor. Tiredness and fatigue is another reason for early labor in pregnancy which increases the discomfort among women. So if you do not want to face such situations then take sufficient rest.

Eating is restricted during labor. Although it has no relation with the normal process of labor and delivery still many women think that they should not eat once the labor begins. The body feels hungry when the blood sugar level goes down and is required to be raised. It is a fact that the mother’s appetite decreases as labor progresses. And if the mother avoids eating during labor then it reduces the energy which increases fatigue and decreases the ability to deal with the labor stress. Therefore, a pregnant woman should eat something even in the early labor stage in pregnancy.

Another important thing to be considered between the labor and delivery stage is that the mother should not stop performing their regular activities. Many pregnant women are advised by their elders to stop doing daily activities and just lie down for the whole day. This sometimes becomes boring for the women and results in mental and emotional weakness. So women should keep on performing their daily routine activities as long as their body allows them to do so.

As far as sign of early stage of labor during pregnancy is concerned, you should keep an eye on your body reactions. In case you notice mucous vaginal discharge which might be tinged with blood then it means that it is the time to call the labor and delivery nurse. In case it is not tinged with blood then its normal and calling the labor and delivery nurse is not required. With this you may find red streak and thick mucus ‘blob’. This mucus thick plug is formed in your cervix during pregnancy. As soon as cervix softens and starts to open this mucus plug comes out from vagina. This happens approximately three days before the labor begins and is a sign of early labor during pregnancy.

The labor period is dependent on how ripe the cervix is at the first stage of labor and how strong and frequent contractions are there. When the women cervix is about 4 cm dilated and the progress speeds up it indicates the end of the early labor during pregnancy.