What are the sure signs of labour?

Labour -- like everything else -- is never completely straightforward and everyone has different experiences. However, here are some common signs of labour: 1) Your water breaking 2) You have strong regular contractions 3) Your mucus plug is dispelled 4) Your back hurts more than usual 5) You get diarrhoea Source: http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/signs-of-labor/labor-signs/ On a personal note, two of my friends complained that they literally could not walk the day before giving birth because their ankles were soooo swollen.

1. breaking of the waters - happens in 15-25% of pregnancies. 2. minute long contractions that happens every 10 mins or less. Contractions feel like period cramps 3. The bloody show - mucous plug falls off. 4. lightening - when the baby drops 5. shivering / trembling - It’s simply your body’s way of relieving tension and usually lasts only a few minutes. 6. Diarrhoea - the body naturally empties the bowels to make way for baby

For my both deliveries, I experienced inconsistent contraction pain (range from 30mins to 1hour interval) 1-2days before the actual labor. Once I had bloody show, the contraction pain started to get intense and the contraction intervals were closer and between 10-15mins apart.

thanks