The last month of pregnancy is the result of all the difficult and difficult moments of bearing a baby. It is at this time that a pregnant girl realizes that she will soon become a mother, and preparation takes place not only at the level of emotional awareness, but also physically.
The first harbingers of the decisive day appear. One of the first is considered to be the release of the plug before childbirth. Many mothers, seeing that the plug has come out, worry when labor will begin and whether they will have time to get to the hospital. However, the separation of thick mucus from the cervical canal is not yet a reason to run to the maternity hospital. How does the plug come out before the first or second birth, what color should the discharge be, and what should you be wary of?
What is a mucus plug?
Protecting a child in utero is the main task of the body, which tries in every possible way to protect the baby from aggressive influences. When a woman’s egg is not fertilized, the uterus is protected from negative microorganisms by special mucus. When pregnancy occurs, the chemical composition of the secretions changes, and the body of the uterus needs additional protection. What is such a plug, and does it always come off immediately before the baby is born?
This is a thick, almost jelly-like clot of a translucent or bloody color with or without small streaks of blood. Such mucus is necessary to protect the child, in particular from many infections from outside the flora environment. The formation of a mucosal barrier begins in the first month of gestation; in the last months, detachment of the plug is one of the harbingers of the onset of labor. However, even such a barrier cannot resist many venereal and viral diseases.
A mucus plug is released before childbirth in only 20% of all pregnant women. The remaining 80% of the cervical mucus plug can be observed 10-15 days before delivery. However, most people believe that the plug during pregnancy separates only before the actual contractions, which means this is a reason to go to the maternity hospital.
To understand when it’s time to go to the maternity hospital, you need to know what the plug looks like before childbirth, and what deviations are a sign of a dangerous condition for the mother and fetus. So, the plug before childbirth in multiparous and primiparous women is actually no different. The consistency, quantity and appearance are virtually the same.
There are several harbingers of an imminent birth, and among them is a protruding plug, discharge in large volumes from the vagina. This is not a signal to go to the maternity ward, but simply a reason to prepare for the maternity hospital: check the “alarm bag” and documents. After all, it is before childbirth that the cervix begins to actively work and contract. During such “training” the mucus comes out. This condition does not lead to rupture of the amniotic sac; there is no reason to worry.
Color
To feel calm, you need to know what color the plug should be if everything is fine, and is a blood clot dangerous? What should you pay attention to and does this situation now pose a danger to the child himself?
Since the clot of mucus covering the cervix is a protective barter for infections, it is logical to assume that its absence is a risk for the child. However, this risk applies only to those cases where the mother did not stop sexual intercourse or changed her sexual partner.
This condition is dangerous for the child, since it is during this period that the woman’s flora is extremely sensitive to any changes, and therefore a change of sexual partner is a risky factor for the life and health of the baby.
The normal color for cork is:
- whitish tint with transparent veins;
- beige-cream shade with streaks of blood;
- pink mucus with transparent or white streaks;
- clear slime with no other colors.
It is worth noting that streaks of blood, perhaps small clots, are not a reason to panic. The fact is that for all 9 months the cervix “rested”, did not contract, and now, when it is time to give birth, it contracts the muscles, pushing out the mucus. During this contraction, the capillaries may break, which is a natural process that should not cause concern. Red (scarlet) and greenish tints should cause concern.
Volume
What does a “normal” traffic jam look like in pregnant women, and how much should it actually be? The approximate volume of mucus in pregnant women is 2-3 tablespoons, if you make a rough guess. If a woman discovers a detached clot after a walk, which often happens during physical activity in the later stages, then it looks like a lump that can fit in the palm of your hand.
Consistency
What does uterine cavity mucus look like? What data are deviations from the norm? The consistency is thick or medium thick mucus, resembling a glue mass that literally sticks to the fabric. The woman does not experience any painful sensations during its separation; in addition, this entire process can go completely unnoticed in the case when the plug comes away during urination.
How does it turn out for first-time mothers?
How does the plug come out just before the first birth, and in pregnant women who are giving birth for the first time? The process of formation, composition and release of such mucus is virtually no different in both second- and first-time mothers. The release of the plug before the first birth does not always mean that labor resolution should be expected in the coming days.
In most cases, such moments relate to a number of hereditary factors: in some girls, the plugs come off in two weeks, while in others they gradually (partially) peel off immediately before the birth itself or already during the process. How long it takes for the plug to come out is determined by the condition of the pregnant woman, her genetic predisposition and the activity of the uterus.
Often the following factors influence the beginning of the peeling process:
- a woman’s fatigue, arrogant physical activity (especially when it comes to collecting documents, working);
- active sex life;
- stress (as a result of contraction of the uterus - mucus exfoliates);
- onset of labor: contractions are not training.
You can expect such a process starting from the 37th week. However, this does not mean that labor can begin within a week. Many primiparous women note that mucus was discharged at 38 weeks, and labor began only at 41, this is normal and is not considered a deviation from the norm. In any case, the moment of mucus discharge is not painful, is not accompanied by spasms, and does not cause concern or changes in the behavior of the pregnant woman.
If the mucous discharge disappears at 41 weeks, this can be considered the beginning of labor. In this case, the characteristic symptoms should be considered mild nausea, thirst, sleep disturbance, increased urination, change of stool, discomfort in the perineum - possible itching, redness, irritation. You can note the symptoms of the beginning of labor at 40-41 weeks, despite the fact that the plug has come away, reminiscent of a premenstrual state, nagging pain below, back pain.
latent phase
How do contractions feel before childbirth? The frequency of uterine contractions always decreases steadily. At the very beginning, a woman may notice a weak pulling sensation in the lower abdomen and lower back lasting up to 20 seconds. The interval between contractions is 15-30 minutes.
The expectant mother can take a shower and prepare for childbirth. Provided the amniotic sac is intact, the woman in labor does not experience severe discomfort. However, you shouldn't stay at home. Go to the medical facility of your choice.
How does it work out for multiparous women?
The removal of the plug before childbirth in women who have previously given birth does not differ in duration, nature of the process, amount of mucus and its color. You can see above what a cork looks like in a second child during childbirth; it is the same color, consistency and quantity.
A second pregnancy can only affect the timing of the onset of labor for the woman giving birth. As a rule, the waiting period for labor is significantly reduced, the symptoms may be more fleeting because the body already “knows” how to “behave”, and the very passage of the plug in multiparous women is not accompanied by painful sensations.
When the detached plug at 40 weeks has a more viscous, transparent consistency with small streaks of blood, this indicates a good pregnancy and that the baby has not been subjected to any “attacks” from pathogenic flora. Detachment at the forty-first (41) week of pregnancy in 95% of cases indicates the onset of labor. In addition, the woman herself already felt contractions.
Simultaneous process
Sometimes contractions begin almost simultaneously with the release of amniotic fluid. In this case, hospitalization should also be urgent.
Staying at home and waiting for contractions to reach the required frequency and frequency, which was discussed so much in courses for expectant mothers, is dangerous.
The risks are the same as in the case of premature rupture of water. First, the baby may experience acute hypoxia; intrauterine infection often occurs, especially if some infections remain untreated in the woman herself.
A situation in which contractions began almost simultaneously with the water breaking is dangerous due to the development of rapid, rapid labor, which, in turn, is dangerous due to birth injuries, premature placental abruption, massive bleeding and other serious complications for the child and mother.
How long will it take for labor to begin after the plug comes out?
Many pregnant women are concerned about the question: if the plug comes out, when will labor begin, and should they tell the doctor about it? The plug has come out, when can I expect the birth? In many ways, it is worth paying attention not to the exfoliation process, but to the period of gestation (a week) and the appearance of the mucus. Since most first-time mothers are simply very emotional, their main fear is to give birth quickly, before reaching the desired point.
If a pregnant woman's plug comes off, this does not mean that the baby will appear in a few hours. If we say that at 41 weeks such mucus has passed, then this is an indicator that the body is already ready for labor; if the period is 37-38 weeks, you need to additionally wait for contractions or leakage of amniotic fluid.
How long before birth does the plug come out? This process is different for everyone. The norm is considered to be 2 weeks before the established obstetric period of labor, but not a deviation and the situation is considered when labor has already begun, but there is still no traffic jam. There can be two scenarios for the development of events: the first is that the pregnant woman did not notice when the plug came out, the second is that the plug comes out during strong contractions. Neither option is a pathology.
To understand approximately how much time you have left, you need to take a closer look at the discharge: a clear transparent or yellowish tint indicates that the uterus is not contracting much yet, which means you should not wait for birth in the next week. If the term is 39 weeks, there is pain in the lower back, the stomach aches, then you can go to the maternity ward. In any case, you need to inform your gynecologist about this process.
There are contractions, but there is no effusion
In some situations, when the membranes in which the baby is located are too dense, doctor intervention is required. When there is no longer time to wait and an attempt is approaching, the cervix is fully dilated, the whole fetal sac is punctured, and a so-called amniotomy is performed.
When the time for childbirth approaches, expectant mothers begin to wait for the appearance of harbingers of this process. Usually, first the mucus plug comes off, then the amniotic fluid comes out, after a while contractions begin and finally - pushing. However, childbirth does not always follow the standard scenario: some of the signs of the onset of labor appear already during the birth of the child, or even do not appear at all. So, not all women have amniotic fluid or mucous plug drained before contractions. It is important to know in which cases this is normal and in which cases specialist intervention is necessary.
What to do after the plug comes out
The panic of those giving birth for the first time is completely justified: they do not know what is normal, how to behave, and doubts creep in about whether the body can withstand such tests. Therefore, when the first signs begin and appear, panic is typical for most women.
In fact, if the plug comes off ahead of schedule (37-38 weeks), then this is not a reason to panic and run to the maternity hospital. This is only a reason to adjust your usual lifestyle; you need to start taking additional care of maintaining pregnancy, or rather, preventing negative consequences:
- Do not take a hot bath, swim in a public pool or open water;
- you should abstain from sexual activity;
- It is strictly forbidden to use unauthorized medications (suppositories, tablets) without the knowledge of the doctor;
- avoid active physical activity.
Should I pack my things for the maternity hospital or prepare for the hospital? Such questions are relevant already from the eighth month. Every pregnant woman should have a bag ready with everything she needs: medicines, things for the baby and the mother in labor, money, an exchange card, individual medicines (for asthmatics, diabetics, epileptics).
