Signs before labour...?

Well I havent had any classic signs, but for the last 2 weeks every twinge and niggle has got me thinking "is this it...?" and I was just wondering what signs everybody else had before labour...?
I keep thinking that if I am feeling perfectly fine one minute it is impossible to go into labour the next, that there has to be some sort of build up or something small to tip me off?...is this true, or can it just hit you out of the blue? Can you be going along feeling fine and then it just starts...?
And how did you know it was starting? Cramps or pains or both? long period type pains or short cramping pains? back pain?
Just wondering what other people experienced....?

i cant really help cause of being induced 3 times (yip) so cant say about going naturally... but this time seen it wasnt long ago... after i had the gel i had period cramping and i had to poop lots until labour was established.

i've been getting those constant cramps too frantic. my midwife says it's labour when they become regular and each one gets longer and more intense. i've been fooled before by regular cramps, but they only lasted 30secs each and stopped after a couple of hours
a friend of mine was peeing every 5mins the day she had her bubs too so that may happen

For about two days before I was getting lots of mild period type pain and a bit of a sore lower back. Then my waters broke one night and I started getting contractions pretty much straight away - they start off relatively mild and you ease into it before they become incredibly intense and long. I think you will definitley know when you are in labour, maybe not the very early stages cos that can go on for days, but you will know once you start getting proper contractions. Good luck...

Frantic time them and then if you get a pattern ring your midwife and let her know the pattern then she will be able to tell you what to do from there.

My labour came on very fast. My waters broke and then I was hit with contractions at full intensity. I was induced so that may have impacted a bit on me.

With paris, I think i got alot more Braxton Hicks.. lots of tightnings.. but I had a show 5 days befor eih ad, her.. until then i had been relatively ok.. once i had the show i felt a bit kind of nervy/edgy excited-ish.. I had that on the fridy.. onver that weekend i felt reallyuncomfy.. went out to this home show thing and was getting feelings like i really needed to pee all the time (as if i was busting to go) but of course kept running off to the loo to find i couldn't. so we left that home show pretty quick cos mike got annoyed with me. I couldn't really walk too far very fast either.. i remember we only parked about 100 metres fromt he entrance and it took forever for me to walk. but then on the monday night, just tightnings, heaps of them.. but back then i didn't even know they were braxton hicks, it just felt like Paris was trying to push her bum out the top of my tummy and i thought it was just her stretching out and hurting me. was a complete surprise when waters broke the next mornign and a hour later contractions started, built up and within 3 hours of them starting i was ready to push!

With ayja.. I had a false alarm.. i had felt "off" that day, so wasn't surpised when i started having things happening that night.. but it didn't eventuate.   of course 5 days later, i had another day where i actually went into town, did all the lat minute stuff, picked up paris, and walked home, lol. This after having stayed close tohome for the 2 weeks prior to that. So then woke at the same time i had the first night, contractions start off as tiny twinges.. stayed that way for close to 3 hours till i got in bath then bamn, double whammy's.. baby born within 3.5 hrs of first niggle. lolol.

depends on you and your baby as to what happens..sometimes you can be a bit naive like i was - thinking back i was probably in early labour the whole weekend befor ei had PAris with all the pains etc.. but had gotten used to them so didn't think much of them.

I had tons of cramps everyday for about two weeks, then one day my waters broke... that was my warning. I did have a show - about two weeks before Taine was born.

Basically to sum it up i had a BIG show the day before then woke at 5am with cramps that felt like period pains and timed them coz they kept coming and going and yeh i was in labour

Had a bloody show at about 11am

Jezsika I love the new pic you've added - lol!!  At least now I've got that song stuck in my head, replacing "the final countdown"!

A wee question - do you just find a show the next time you need the bathroom after it's appeared, or can you feel it appearing?  TMI, maybe, but I'm very curious about it! 

I was the same, didnt feel anything just saw it.
Now ive got that song stuck in my head too!