![]() If you’re past your due date, it’s understandable you want to speed up labour and losing your plug definitely means you are heading in the right direction, but trying to remove your mucus plug is not going to be possible or help! Some women never realise they have lost their mucus plug, while others feel it immediately. How do I know if I’ve lost my mucus plug? Early labour, is when your cervix starts to open to prepare for the actual birth process, and it is when you can feel some mild contractions – like period cramps or a low and persistent backache. However, your ‘show’ and losing this vaginal discharge plug could mean that labour has started. Your labour may not start for hours or even days It’s important to remember that losing your mucus plug does NOT necessarily mean you are in labour. This causes the mucus plug that has sealed the entrance to your womb to slip away and come out. When your baby is engaged, your body will produce the hormones (prostaglandin) that stimulates your cervix to ripen. Ripening means that your cervix softens and shortens in readiness for labour. Sometimes this is called ‘lightening’, because you’ll feel some relief from the pressure on your stomach and lungs as your baby moves down. Doctors and midwives will often tell you that your baby’s head is engaged. In late pregnancy, your baby should settle downwards into your pelvis, ready to enter the world. What happens when you lose your mucus plug? If you can, keep it in a small pot and take it along to show your health care provider. If you think you might have lost your mucus plug early or you aren’t sure, talk to your doctor too. It is possible to lose your mucus plug earlier, but if that happens call your doctor or midwife immediately – it could be a sign of very early labour and you could be putting yourself at risk of infection. Usually, you lose your mucus plug after 37 weeks. Here are some examples, shared online, by other women… (apologies if you are squeamish) It’s important to remember that they do not all look the same! Losing your mucus plug might happen when you go to the toilet, or you might find it in your underwear. “It can have a red or pink tinge associated with blood.” “The mucus plug colour is usually white, yellowish, beige, or brown, or any variant thereof,” says Dr Michael Cackovic. When you see the mucus plug, you’ll notice it is different from ‘regular’ discharge that most women get – it’s thicker and there’s a lot more of it. Since the mucus plug is designed to ‘plug’ your cervix, it’s usually about 4cm long and there is roughly two teaspoons full of mucus in the plug. ![]() It usually stays in place throughout your pregnancy until you begin to dilate before labour. Your mucus plug starts to form when you first become pregnant and the glands in your cervix secrete mucus, but it doesn’t reach its full size until you’re about 12 weeks along. When does your mucus plug form and how big is it? It prevents bacteria from entering the uterus or womb. Every woman has one. The mucus plug protects your cervix from infection throughout your pregnancy. ![]()
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