Youve almost made it. You have almost reached full term and now you have a mixture of feelings as your labour approaches. Youll be feeling excited but possibly also a little worried. But one thing all pregnant women should be feeling at this stage is prepared.
Here are some tips for labour which may help when you are seeing the early signs of labour.
Know what to expect
Hopefully you have read enough pregnancy guide book or looked on the baby websites enough to know what you are likely to experience when you go into labour.
Maybe you and your birthing partner have been to some pre-natal classes as well.
Any lingering questions or concerns should now be checked out with your doctor or midwife.
Dont leave the learning until the last minute. And make sure your partner knows what is likely to happen so he can be supportive and not shocked.

Get ready to wait
Real labour is nothing like the Hollywood versions when a womans waters break and she barely makes it to the hospital before the baby arrives (and then it is usually a plump little one month old baby shes presented with).
Labour, for most women, is a long process and you can be at home in the early stages of labour for many hours before it becomes necessary to go to hospital.
Many hospitals wont even let you check in until your contractions are regular and coming about every five minutes, so one of the best tips for labour is stay at home where you are more comfortable until contractions are regular and you are starting to feel like you need some pain relief.
Warn your partner
Giving birth is a long, hard job, and some women cope by shutting out everything and everyone else. Others become very snappy and dont want their partner fussing and faffing around them.
Warn your partner that he has to be prepared to go with the flow. When you want a massage he should be there for you. When you want silence and leaving well alone, he must understand it is not rejection, just your way of coping.

Pack a good bag
Well before you have any early signs of labour you should have packed an overnight case for yourself and one for your baby in hospital.
This can include not only necessities (sleepwear, toiletries etc) but also a CD of your favourite music, aromatherapy products, a camera, snacks, magazines or a book (a good distraction is you have to wait around) address book, note paper and a pen (if you are kept in for a few days you can use the time to write your baby announcement cards). Some women even take their own pillow with them.

It could be a long haul for your partner too, so a clean top, some basic toiletries and maybe even a snack for him might be useful to pack too!