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Preterm labor is labor that occurs before the 37th week in a normal 40-week pregnancy. The March of Dimes reports that 12 percent of babies born in the United States each year are born premature. These babies usually require longer hospital stays and experience more extensive long-term health problems. Sadly, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), premature babies account for most newborn deaths. Learn the signs of preterm labor in pregnancy so you can be prepared.

Many obstetricians begin making cervical checks to look for dilation during the final months of pregnancy. There are several telltale signs that can give you a clue that your body may be preparing for labor. Cervical dilation may begin days or weeks before labor begins, but it can also be a key indicator that delivery is getting closer, according to the Mayo Clinic.

A miscarriage, the loss of a pregnancy, can be emotionally devastating. Many women worry they could have detected miscarriage sooner and have prevented it. Though in most cases, a miscarriage can’t be prevented (it’s estimated that as many as 25 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage), knowing the signs of a miscarriage can not only help a woman understand what’s going on with her body but can also help her get appropriate medical care to prevent health complications from the miscarriage.

Many moms-to-be eagerly anticipate the onset of labor not because they look forward to the requisite discomfort and work that the process entails, but instead because they can’t wait to cast their eyes on their new bundle of joy. As women approach their promised due date, they commonly become eager for any signs of the commencement of labor. While no sign is as clear an indication of the start of labor as the development of contractions, certain signs indicate that labor and, by connection, birth, are but a few days away.