Is it possible to be in labor without knowing?

you will know, trust me.

Not all women have painful labors. If you are feeling contractions in your belly OR your back on a regular basis then start timing them. But general back pain and pressure are not signs of labor.

no way. in the begining it seems that way. by the time it gets more intense u'll wish u didnt know.lol.

You will start to dilate before you give birth. I started dilating a week before i gave birth. The way it started for me is i woke up and my back was hurting and i tried to roll over and it was so uncomfortable i couldn't make my self go back to sleep, then it me. Yea you will def know.

you will always know.. there is no such thing as woman NOT knowing. atleast not on this planet! lol

the tightening of your belly your doc describes I believe means when you feel it, you WILL know. It will be an intense tightening or similar. Mine was mostly in my back, but when in actual labor, I had to pee every 5 minutes. My cats followed me (they knew I was pregnant BEFORE I took the test) and they were very concerned for me. The peeing part, that was intense. I'd sit (after tripping on the cats, of course) and nothing. It just felt like I had to pee. Good Luck and don't worry! You will be fine!

my friends waters broke without her knowing it and less than an hour later she'd given birth.She only went for a check up appointment at the hospital and was admitted immediately.So i guess for some it's not so obvious!

i disagree with the others and say it is possible to not know. i have had a friend who didn't realize she was in labor because she was just having back pain. she went to the doctor and was 5cm. she had to have a c-section (a true necessary c-section) so they did it that day.

but it is so unlikely that you will get to a point where it's too late to get to the hospital without realizing it. and it is a blessing to get to the hospital toward the end of active labor imo.

if this is something that you are really worried about, read up on what to do if you have to have your baby at home or in the car. i know there is a section on that in my pregnancy book (martha sears). i am going to be going to a hospital an hour away and this is my 2nd child so i am honestly a tad nervous about taht myself. but i know if i read up on how to handle the situation, then i can feel confident and stop worrying.

but the chances are very very good that you will know you are in labor well before you *need* to know.

good luck!

I REALLY agree with Stef, above!
:-)