Timing contractions help

Elizabeth
Hey everyone! I'm getting close to my due date with baby #2 and I'm starting to worry I won't notice when I'm in labor. Due to complications I was already in the hospital when I went into labor with my daughter. I had back labor and if not for the nurse pointing out my contractions I never would have known. I felt a very mild back pain that I wasn't able to time until my water broke at 7 CM. After that I was able to notice some pain in my abdomen as well but to me it was still not timeable and I still didn't feel enough of it to know it was a contraction without the monitors help. I took a nap and when I woke up I was 10 CM and the contractions were finally strong enough to notice. My baby girl was born less than 20 minutes after I woke up. 
With my son I am able to stay home and enjoy the surprise! However I'm worried the surprise might not be realized until I'm having him accidentally at home lol. While I do want to labor as long as possible at home, I would certainly prefer some trained professionals around when he makes his entrance (or exit I should say lol). 
My question is: has anyone else failed to notice labor? Any advice for recognizing the signs when they aren't obvious?