Signs of labor include:

• Your contractions are getting stronger and more painful instead of weaker. You’ll likely feel them throughout your whole uterus.

• Your contractions are regular. This means that you feel them about every 5 to 10 minutes. And they are getting closer together.

• You have pink-colored or blood-streaked fluid from your vagina.

• You feel that the baby has "dropped" lower in your pelvis 

• Your water breaks. It may be a gush or a slow trickle of clear fluid from your vagina.

Signs of false labor include:

• Your contractions aren’t regular or strong.

• You feel the contractions only in your lower uterus.

• Your contractions go away when you walk or change position.

• Your contractions go away after drinking fluids.

Call your healthcare provider or clinic right away if you notice any of these signs:

• Fluid from your vagina, with or without contractions.

• Bleeding heavy enough that you need a sanitary pad.

• You don’t feel your baby moving as much as before.

Contractions are timed by both of these measures:

• The length of each contraction from its start to its finish.

• How far apart the contractions are —the time between the start of one contraction and the start of the next contraction.