Premature labor, also called preterm labor, occurs when the pregnant
woman’s body starts getting ready for birth too early in your pregnancy. Labor
is premature if it starts more than three weeks before your due date. A
normal pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. Occasionally, labor begins prematurely, before
37 weeks of gestation. This happens because uterine contractions cause the
cervix to open earlier than normal

The warning signs of premature labor:

·        
Backache: usually
in the lower back. It may follow a constant or on and off pattern, but it won’t
improve even if with changing positions or doing something else for comfort.

·        
Contractions: every
10 minutes or more often 

·        
Cramping: in
the lower abdomen or menstrual-like cramps. These can feel like gas pains that
may come with diarrhea.

·        
Fluid leaking: usually
watery fluid, comes out from the vagina; this could indicate that your bag of water
is broken.

·        
Flu-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

·        
Increased pressure in the pelvis or vagina

·        
Increased vaginal discharge

·        
Vaginal bleeding, including light bleeding

·        
Passing a mucus plug: The mucus plug
accumulates at the cervix during pregnancy. When the cervix dilates, the mucus
is discharged into the vagina and may be clear, pink, or slightly bloody. Labor
may begin soon after the mucus plug is discharged or one to two weeks later.

How to recognize a uterine contraction? As
the muscles of the uterus contract, the abdomen will feel harder than usual. As
the contraction fades away, the uterus becomes soft. Throughout
pregnancy, the layers of the uterus will tighten irregularly, but this is
usually not painful. These are known as Braxton Kicks contractions, and
are characterized by an irregular frequency and that they do not lead to
widening of the cervix. If these contractions become regular or more
frequent (like one contraction every 10 min for at least 60 min), they may indicate
premature labor contractions which can cause the cervix to open. If this takes
place, you need to contact your obstetrician without delay.

To check if you are having a uterine
contraction, lie down, and palpate your uterus (using your fingertips) to feel your
uterus tighten and soften. During a contraction, the abdomen will feel
hard all over, not just in one area. Bu be aware that as the baby grows in
size, the abdomen will naturally grow more firm in one area and then
become soft again.