Water breaking/general going into labor?

Question

So ladies, I have a friend that is having a baby soon and she really would like to know what warning signs of going into labor are/any information that can be given about what it feels like to be going into labor so she knows when to get to the hospital.

Answer

My water broke in the middle of the night when I woke up thinking I needed to pee. From there the contractions started gradually but got stronger. I went to the hospital finally because my husband said I was clearly uncomfortable because I kept grimacing. I resisted for a while because I never had the “perfect” 5-1-1 pattern. My contractions, even in very active labor, were only about 40 seconds long, and in the at home portion I had some breaks up to 12 minutes. I managed to file expense reports with my boss while in labor. 
But when we got to the hospital, it turned out my husband had been right that the grimacing was an indication because I got admitted immediately. I had the baby about two hours later, with a total time from water breaking to birth only 8 hours. 
One thing that could be helpful is if she talks to her mom. My labor/birth was very similar to my mom’s experience, and I’ve had other friends say the same

Water breaking/general going into labor?

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