If labour doesn’t start, you should mention it at your next appointment or assessment. If you're full term when the mucus plug comes out, wait until you’re getting regular and frequent contractions before calling your midwife, unless you're worried and need reassurance (NHS 2020). You won't necessarily go into labour early, but it's important to seek advice, just to be on the safe side. Should I call my midwife when I have the bloody show?If you think the mucus plug has come out before you're 37 weeks pregnant, call your midwife straightaway (NHS 2020). If you can balance keeping mobile with rest, and eat and drink when you're hungry or thirsty, you'll be well prepared for when labour really does start (Dencker et al 2010, Simkin et al 2017). Using relaxation techniques will help your body to produce the labour hormone oxytocin (Simkin et al 2017). If you haven’t done it already, now is a good time to get your hospital bag ready. Subtle pre-labour changes need to happen in your body before labour can really get under way (Goldberg 2018, Simkin et al 2017). Keep in mind that the build-up to labour is usually slow. It's only natural in late pregnancy to be impatient for the signs that your baby is ready to arrive (Olza et al 2018). Try to stay calm while you wait for things to progress. Early labour, when your cervix starts to open, is when you may feel weak contractions, tummy aches, cramps or backache (Grylka-Baeshlin and Mueller 2023). If you've had a baby before, it's possible that you are already in early labour or will be soon (Gross et al 2010). I’ve lost my mucus plug, will labour start soon?Your labour may not start for hours or even days after you lose the mucus plug, particularly if this is your first baby. Cervical ripening (sometimes called effacement) causes the mucus plug to slip away. Ripening means that your cervix softens, shortens, and thins in readiness for labour, and may start to dilate too (Goldberg 2018, Jackson et al 2020). When your baby's head or bottom is engaged, your body will respond by producing hormones (prostaglandins) that stimulate your cervix to ripen over several days or even weeks (Vannuccini et al 2016). This is often called "lightening", because you'll feel some relief from the pressure on your stomach and lungs as your baby moves down. Toward the end of the third trimester, your baby should settle down into your pelvis ( engage). Is losing the mucus plug one of the signs of labour?It's a positive sign but it's usually considered a late pregnancy symptom rather than a sign of labour, unless you have other signs of labour too, such as contractions (Grylka-Baeschlin and Mueller 2023, Hanley et al 2016). However, you may spot it in your pants, or when you wipe after you've had a wee.įind out about other sorts of vaginal discharge in pregnancy. The jelly-like plug is often blood-tinged or streaked with old, brownish blood when it comes away.īecause it’s mucus, it can look like a stretchy blob of blood-streaked pale, creamy-pink snot! You may miss it completely if it comes out while you are on the loo. When the mucus plug dislodges from your cervix it's called the show, or a bloody show. What is the bloody show?During pregnancy, the entrance to your womb (uterus) is sealed with a mucus plug that stops harmful bacteria from reaching your baby (Lacroix et al 2020). But finding it isn’t necessarily a sign of labour starting soon, particularly with your first baby. It means that your cervix (the opening to your womb) is shortening and softening, and may be starting to dilate ready for labour. When the mucus plug dislodges from your cervix, also known as the show or a bloody show, it’s certainly an early sign that things are moving in the right direction. Slideshow The mucus plug Check out this slideshow to find out what a mucus plug looks like!
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