Does Anyone Have a Gut Instinct When Their Baby Will Be Born?

Around your time, everyone starts to get ancy and wants the baby out! I thought mine would come early, but he came the day after my due date. Since you have been having preterm issues, I would expect your baby to arrive early, but hang in there, you want them to keep cooking as long as possible!

I know a woman who had preterm labor issues and was on meds to stop contractions. Then she stopped taking the meds and the baby didn't come before her due date. Then because she was expecting an early baby, she got ansy and wanted to be induced just 3 days after her due date. Induction didn't go well (50% don't!!!) and she ended up sliced and diced all because she was tired of being pregnant.

Here's my advice: Look at 42 weeks as your due date. No matter what a doctor tells you, there is nothing unsafe about waiting until 42 weeks before doing anything unless the baby or you are in distress. The baby isn't actually LATE until 42 weeks. Don't expect your baby to come early. Then, anything before that will be "early" and a nice surprise. Believe me, you are uncomfortable enough that last 4-6 weeks, all you need is to be thinking "why hasn't this baby come yet?". If you keep in mind that the baby comes when ready and that it's safer to keep developing as long as possible, it will go faster.

Good Luck:)

Yeah, had a real 'gut instinct' with the 2nd born,a nd even thought my water had broke (which I had already experienced with the 1st born.)
Let's just say "HA" -- instead of being born 3 wks early when we went into the hospital thinking 'labor', she was actually born 1 week late and was facing induction, except my midwife did membrane stripping which allowed us to go w/o induction.
Guess my 'gut instinct' was just a 'gut desire' LOL

With my second, I could have sworn that I was going to go a few weeks early. At one of my last appointments, they asked if I wanted to schedule an induction. I was ready, we scheduled it for March 26. I called on March 25th and asked if I could push it back to the 28th. I felt like a weenie for not letting it come naturally (as it had with my son). No one had ever asked that before.
We changed the date to the 28th, and sure enough, my water broke on the 26th (my daughter was born on her due date, 3/27).

I like to think I knew when my son was coming. Before my doctor gave me my "due date" I got it in my head that it would be December 15. My official due date was Dec 21, but as it got closer I just didn't think I'd make it that far. The doctor ended up inducing me on Dec 13th, but before they broke my water or started me on pitocin I was already 5cm dilated. So I'm pretty certain I would have gone on my own in the next day or two anyway!

FIrst of all, congratulations! (Maybe you'll have a new year's baby!!:)
I had a lot of BH with my first. Eventually, after having to go in so much to get monitored, the midwife and I decided I would only go in if they continued for MORE than 4 hours. He ended up being only a couple days early. However, if you're baby is engaged, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he came 2 weeks early. Especially with your pre-term issues. I can't say any of my predictions (more like hopefulness) came true. Didn't think my second would be 8 days over and he was. Women can go for weeks dilated to 3 and having lost their mucus plug, thinking it will be any day. However, I think many times once it's closer to the time, like within days, women will have "a feeling" that it is close. I'm sure I haven't answered your question, but it's always fun going down memory lane :) Good luck with
your birth. I wish you a quick (but not too quick!) and pleasant experience!