You can lose your mucus plug at any dilation level, from barely 1 cm to fully dilated at 10 cm, but it often happens as your cervix softens and starts opening (around 1-3 cm) in late pregnancy or early labor, signaling your body is preparing for birth, though it might come out days or weeks before labor actually begins.
Your mucus plug typically comes out during early labor. This is the part of labor that consists of your cervix softening and opening, as well as mild contractions. Early labor lasts until you're about 6 centimeters dilated. Your mucus plug can come out at any point in the dilation process.
Loss of mucus plug
When you lose the mucus plug, it can be a signal that your body is preparing for labor, though it may still be days or even weeks away. It's a normal part of the process and nothing to worry about, but if you have any questions, it's always best to ask your health care provider!
As the cervix dilates, the mucus plug releases into the vagina. Loss of the mucus plug is one of the first steps in labor. You may notice a thick vaginal discharge that appears clear, pink, or tinged with blood.
1 centimeter fits one finger tightly. 2 centimeters fits one finger loosely. 3 centimeters fits 2 fingers tightly. 4 centimeters is 2 loose fingers.
In early labor, dilating from 0 to 6 centimeters can take from a few hours up to about 12 hours (though for some people, up to 20 hours). During active labor, dilating from 6 to 10 centimeters generally takes around 4 to 8 hours. On average, you may dilate about 1 centimeter an hour.
Being 1cm dilated indicates that labor might be starting but can also mean different things depending on other factors like effacement or the thinning of the cervix. The progression from 1cm dilation to more significant stages can vary greatly among individuals.
Three key signs that labor is approaching soon are regular contractions, losing your "bloody show" (mucus plug), and your waters breaking, often accompanied by lower backache, baby dropping, or a sudden urge to clean (nesting). These signals show your body is preparing for birth, with contractions becoming stronger and closer together as labor progresses.
Remember, not all pregnant people will even know they've lost their mucus plug, and it doesn't always come out as a nice clean cork! Most often, it will look like bits of thick, stringy, jelly-like mucus (thicker and more opaque than typical discharge). But you may only notice a small amount at a time.
You may see a thick, jelly-like discharge that is clear, pink, or a little bloody. This plug of mucus closes your cervix during pregnancy, and its discharge usually comes one to two days before actual labour. A strong desire to clean, cook, or organise your home is usual 24–48 hours prior to labour.
Your mucus plug is what protects baby and the uterus against infection during pregnancy, so once you've lost it there are some things you'll want to avoid to reduce your risk of infection, Gerber notes. These include using tampons and submerging yourself in water (i.e. in pools, hot tubs, bath tubs, etc.).
If you start losing your mucus plug before the 37th week of pregnancy, you should visit your doctor as soon as possible, as it is a common symptoms of preterm labor. If your water breaks and you lose the mucus plug at the same time, it's likely that labor is commencing.
Once things start heating up and labor is officially underway, you'll begin to notice more signs of dilation. What does dilation feel like? You won't be able to feel the cervix opening, Ellson says, but what you will feel are the uterine contractions that work to stretch the cervix open.
While losing your mucus plug does mean that the cervix is softening and opening, active labour may still be days away. Some women will lose the mucus plug right at the beginning of early labour, and for others, this might happen weeks in advance.
The best time to start walking to induce labour is when you are already in early labour or on the verge of going into labour. It is thought to assist gravity in bringing your baby down and exert pressure on your cervix to cause dilation.
You know you're in true labor when:
These aspects can be remembered using the mnemonic called the 5 P's of Labor that include Power, Passageway, Passenger, Positioning, and Psyche. Being knowledgeable about the 5 P's of labor helps nurses understand the factors that must work together for a successful and safe vaginal birth.
The 3-2-1 contraction rule is a guideline for first-time mothers to know when to call their midwife, meaning strong, regular contractions every 3 minutes, lasting 2 minutes (or about 1 minute long), for over 1 hour (or 2 hours, depending on the source). It signifies active labor, but some providers suggest the similar 5-1-1 rule (5 mins apart, 1 min long, for 1 hour) for subsequent pregnancies, while others use 3-1-2 (3 mins apart, 1 min long, for 2 hours) for low-intervention births, with timing from the start of one contraction to the start of the next.
The mucus plug is a clear or white jelly and may be streaked with a small amount of blood, making it pink . It could come away as a single blob of gel, about the size of a 50p piece. Or it could be in smaller pieces which come away over several hours or more .
8 Symptoms Before Labor Starts
While there is no way to know when labor is 24 to 48 hours away, labor signs include a bloody show, Braxton Hicks contractions, labor contractions, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, lower back pain, rupture of the amniotic sac (“water breaking”), and nesting instinct.
Try to insert the tips of your fingers into your cervix. If one fingertip fits through your cervix, you're considered one centimeter dilated. If two fit, you're two centimeters dilated. If there's additional space in the opening, try to estimate how many fingertips would fit to determine dilation.
From these findings it is likely to conclude that stress, which is caused by disturbance of the mother during childbirth, leads to an increase in the opioid-mediated inhibition of oxytocin secretion and thereby to a reduction in uterine contractions that will have a negative effect on the progress of labor.
While dilation often gets all the attention, effacement is just as important. You need the completion of both to have a vaginal delivery. Your healthcare team will keep you updated on your cervical changes toward the end of your pregnancy and during labor.