Preterm Labor is labor that happens before 37 weeks of pregnancy.
Preterm labor can result in your baby being born too soon or too small. If you experience any of the warning signs of preterm labor, call your health care provider right away.
- Contractions (your abdomen tightens like a fist) every 10 minutes or more often
- Change in vaginal discharge (leaking fluid or bleeding from your vagina)
- Pelvic pressure—the feeling that your baby is pushing down
- Cramps that feel like your period
- Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea
- Low, dull backache
If you have any of these signs, call your prenatal care provider right away. Follow any instructions that your health care provider may give you.
This information is provided by the March of Dimes: www.marchofdimes.com