The plug may be dislodged by having sex, when your baby's head drops into your pelvis lightening , during a pelvic exam in your provider's office, or when labor starts. If your mucus plug comes out but labor doesn't start, your body will replace it with more mucus. The mucus plug can be transparent, yellowish, a little pink, or slightly blood-colored.
It may be thick and sticky, or stringy. You might not notice when the mucus plug comes out because you may be used to seeing heavy vaginal discharge during pregnancy. Also, for some women, the mucus plug comes out gradually over several days and is barely noticeable. For other women, however, the mucus plug comes out all at once in a big clump. You lose your mucus plug sometime before you go into labor, or as labor is starting.
This happens because the cervix begins to dilate and the plug is released into the vagina. However, it could take hours, days, or even weeks for labor to actually begin after your mucus plug comes out.
Losing your mucus plug is only one sign that your body is preparing for labor, and it could still be a while before you actually give birth. To figure out whether it's time to go to the hospital or birth center, look for other first signs of labor such as regular contractions, feeling your baby "drop" or move lower into your pelvis, or your water breaking.
Call your doctor or midwife if you're unsure what to do. Sometimes vaginal discharge during pregnancy can signal a serious problem such as placenta previa , placental abruption , preterm labor , or an infection. Call your provider immediately if the discharge:. Losing your mucus plug can be a sign that labor is imminent. But it can also take several more days or even weeks for labor to begin.
If losing your mucus plug is accompanied by other first signs of labor, the birth of your baby is likely close. The "bloody show" is a thick, bloody discharge of mucus and blood that's excreted into the vagina from the cervix. Angelats, M. Chow, M. Schwab, M. Persch, M. Certified Nurse Practitioners: Jaimi L.
Your baby may come a week or two later than the expected date, without anything "being wrong", or you may go into labor a week or two early, without harm to either you or the baby. Tub baths may be taken throughout pregnancy if care is used in getting in and out of the tub. Avoid prolonged exposure to high temperatures, as in hot tubs or saunas. Douches should be omitted during the last months of pregnancy.
Intercourse need be avoided only if it is followed by pain or bleeding. False labor contractions may occur during the last month of pregnancy. Usually the contractions are irregular as to interval varying from 5 to 20 minutes apart. They are short in duration, lasting less than 30 seconds. Usually they begin in the front of the abdomen, not low in the back as true labor contractions usually do, and the contractions will go away after hours.
As the cervix begins to open wider in preparation for delivery, the mucus plug is discharged into the vagina. The time between losing the mucus plug and going into labor varies. Some women who pass a noticeable mucus plug go into labor within hours or days, while others may not go into labor for a few weeks.
You might experience several symptoms that labor is impending. Losing a mucus plug is one of them. But you could lose your mucus plug, and still carry your baby for several more weeks. If you lose your mucus plus and experience the following symptoms of labor, you may be closer to delivering your baby.
Lightening occurs when your baby starts to drop lower into your pelvis. This effect makes it easier for you to breathe, but does cause your baby to press on your bladder more. Lightening does indicate that your baby is getting into a position that will support labor. The fluid may be released in a tremendous rush, or it may come out in a slow, watery trickle.
These contractions will become stronger, longer-lasting, and more frequent as the cervix dilates and softens in preparation for childbirth. The cervix must become thinner and stretched to allow your baby to pass through the birth canal. As your due date nears, your doctor will likely conduct a cervical check to estimate how effaced your cervix is.
Effacement and dilation are two major signs that labor is impending. Dilation is a measurement of how open your cervix is. Typically, a cervix that is 10 centimeters dilated means you are ready to give birth. If you think you may be experiencing contractions, time how far apart they are and if they are at a consistent time apart.
In some instances, a distinction is made between a mucus plug that is clear and mucus that is bloody or has streaks of blood in it, which may be called a bloody show instead. Whichever term you use, your healthcare provider will know what you mean; you could even describe what you see to be even more accurate. The mucus plug comes loose and dislodges when the cervix starts to open dilate as labor nears.
As the cervix dilates, the mucus is pushed out into the vagina. Seeing the mucus plug is a sign you are approaching labor, or it can be an early sign of labor itself. Read up on some of the other commons signs of labor , including your water breaking. If your pregnancy is already full term if you are 38 to 42 weeks pregnant , then losing the mucus plug is a sign that labor is approaching.
If your labor is not yet full term, then contact your healthcare provider right away, as it may be a sign of preterm labor.
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