Obviously this is going to be a TMI post so if you do not want to hear about the personal, potentially graphic nature of pregnancy please stop reading now.
If you are sure you want to continue on, you have probably ascertained that today’s topic is the mucus plug. The short and simple version of this is that I think mine is gone.
It all started after B’s birthday party when Andy and I both passed out on the couch by 8:30pm. We woke up for a bed transfer at 10:30pm at which time I briefly went back to sleep only to wake up at 11:30pm with what I would describe as period cramps. Score! We learned these were pre-labor symptoms so immediately my mind started racing with what the night might entail.
I figured going into labor with only three hours of sleep probably wasn’t the best approach, if avoidable, so I transferred back to the couch to try and sleep a bit more expecting to wake up a few hours later. I also knew there was a good chance labor was nowhere near, but I was being optimistic.
I woke up with light streaming through the window quickly recognizing I had not, in fact, gone into labor. Oh well. It was the best night of sleep I have had in awhile and I even made out with Jon Hamm in a dream where we were both actors in some sci-fi movie. We kissed as part of the acting, but it was still really good. And yes I have already confessed my on-screen infidelity to Andy.
We met our families for an early Easter brunch to beat the crowds and all-the-while I felt like perhaps my body was changing, getting closer to labor. Everything I did, I pictured it as being the start of my labor story.
When Belén took a nap, I did as well because I was completely exhausted. Even when I woke up an hour later, I was still so darn tired…like tired in a different way than I have ever been in my entire life. Surely this was progress towards labor.
About an hour later I sort of wondered if perhaps I was losing my mucus plug and sure enough, when I went to the bathroom, there was exactly what the nurse had described I would see when I lost my mucus plug. Andy came home awhile later and I told him about it and I could tell he became really excited. When I went to the bathroom a second time and there was mucus plug round two, I asked him if he wanted to see it and he quickly agreed.
For those unfamiliar with what a mucus plug is, I took this from BabyCenter:
Throughout pregnancy, a mucus plug blocks the opening of the cervix to prevent bacteria from entering the uterus. Before labor, this mucus plug is expelled so that the cervix can open to allow the baby to pass through during labor and birth. Passing a mucus plug is a sign that your cervix is dilating and your body is starting to prepare for birth. Labor could be hours, days, or even weeks away as the cervix gradually opens over time.
I describe this only because I warned you this post was TMI, but it basically looked like a really snotty farmer blow. I know, gross, but really not that bad. I actually think the other words used to describe the losing of the mucus plug, “bloody show” sound grosser than the actual mucus plug itself.
A little while later, I snapped out of my extreme tiredness and started to feel like my normal 38 weeks pregnant self. While it was nice to feel better, I was kind of hoping for a rapid transition into early labor.
From the limited research I have done, people go into labor anywhere from hours to a couple of weeks after they lose their mucus plug…so while this is progress, especially since I never lost it with Belén (she was born by planned c-section at 39 weeks), I still may have a ways to go.
We are ready to get this party started! Andy encouraged me to put extra hot sauce on my quesadilla and even went for a 50-minute walk with me and Belén tonight. I had a glass of wine. We want to meet Eloise, but of course, we want her to come when she is ready…
So here is a question. In the meantime, do you carry on like normal, go to work, etc. sans mucus plug? I suppose the answer is yes…
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Yay! You’re gettting so close! Congrats on making it through the big weekend. I’m afraid that you’re correct–going about your normal business is probably the best thing to do now!
Thanks! It is nice to not have anything I feel like I have to get through or do before labor starts. Now it will probably take forever for it to start…. How are you doing?
The thing that makes me laugh the hardest is how Andy didn’t even hesitate to go look at it. Matt would have refused till his death. I can’t even talk about that stuff without him getting super grossed out.
He was all over it. I think he was bummed when he thought he missed his opportunity. He later told me that he is going to try really hard to see the doctor strip my membranes Wednesday. I told him I don’t think he is going to be able to see anything, but we will soon find out… I am surprised about how he doesn’t flinch at all with this pregnancy stuff. Maybe he should have been a doctor.
Oh my! How exciting!!! You have to keep us updated on how you are doing!!! I hope for your sake and for babys sake you have a quick, easy delivery!!
Thank you! I really hope so too!
Okay, you’re going to think I’m entirely gross- but I just went and googled a picture of a mucus plug. It was the nurse in me. I couldn’t help myself. And I’m TOTALLY showing my husband if I ever get one of those things. He may pass out after.
You’re getting so close! I’m so excited for you.
SuzRocks´s last [type] ..I&8217m Pretty Much Famous Now&8230Or Something
I actually did the same thing to see if mine looked normal because I have no idea how you get “bloody show” out of what I saw. It is gross looking at someone else’s mucus plug over the Internet though…
Oooo, very exciting! And yes, I think unless instructed otherwise by your OB you go on with your everyday stuff after losing the mucus plug–I seem to recall mine coming out a week or two before labor actually started.
Jen @ Mommy Tries´s last [type] ..It’s Passover- Grover!
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