# Pre-labor

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**Pre-labor** consists of the early signs before [labor](/source/Childbirth) starts. It is the body's preparation for real labor.

Prodromal labor has been misnamed as “false labor." Prodromal labor begins much as traditional labor but does not progress to the [birth](/source/Birth) of the [baby](/source/Baby). Not everyone feels this stage of labor, though it does always occur. However, this does not mean that every woman will experience every symptom. The term is used to describe a cluster of physical changes that may take place in a pregnant woman before she goes into "real" labor, such as an increase in blood volume (sometimes resulting in [edema](/source/Edema)), [Braxton Hicks contractions](/source/Braxton_Hicks_contractions), the presence of [colostrum](/source/Colostrum) in the breasts, and the dislodging of the [mucus plug](/source/Cervical_mucus_plug) that has sealed the [cervix](/source/Cervix) during the pregnancy.

The term "false labor" is sometimes used to describe a cluster of Braxton Hicks contractions that are mistaken for real labor.

The term "false labor" and "false pains" are sometimes considered equivalent.[1]

## References

## External links

- "What happens during labour?" by Pam Cass [\[1\]](https://web.archive.org/web/20070822160218/http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/birth/whatlabor/index.php)

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