Signs of Going Into Labor: Losing the Mucus Plug

Video Transcript

"Another sign that labor is coming close is the losing of the mucus plug. That is also called a bloody show or bloody discharge. So what it is, is you have the uterus and then you have your cervix, and your cervix has an actual mucus plug that closes it up. This prevents any bacteria getting into the baby and it protects the baby. So what happens is, is as that cervix starts to get softer, the mucus plug comes out. It looks like mucus. It's thick. It would be probably thicker than mucus that would be in your nose. Sometimes it can be kind of strainy looking, and sometimes you'll just notice some wetness in your underwear. The color of it can be clear, it can be brown, it can be light pink, it can even be bright red like it's blood. So what happens is you might notice that after you use the restroom or you might see something in your underwear. It also can come out a little bit at a time. Especially if you've had sex or if you've had a vaginal exam. That might loosen things up and it might come out a little bit at a time. So, it's okay if you see a bright drop of blood. And you might see more than one thing. As long as there's not a lot of blood, everything's fine and this is a completely normal thing to happen. Again, this doesn't mean that labor is necessarily starting, but that means you're probably getting closer and you probably will go into labor within a few hours. So this is your uterus, and at the bottom of your uterus is your cervix. Your cervix at this point is kind of like a bottle neck. So at the end of your cervix, it's closed up and it's actually like there's a plug right in here. So as the cervix starts to get softer, that plug comes right out and again you may or may not notice it. So another sign that labor is getting closer is the losing of the mucus plug."