Mucus Plug

early labor (signs of this are what you are describing...mucous plug, contractions that aren't patterned or very "strong" yet....etc) can last weeks.....best to rest and take it easy ; ) check in w/ your care provider

M.:
Experienced Doula ; ) and Homebirth Mommy

ps...I saw some advice from someone else who responded to you about no baths....baths are typically ok unless your water is broken, there is usually only a risk of infection (which is the concern) if your water bag has broken, not losing your mucous plug.

With my first I lost my mucous plug the morning before I began labor (8pm). With the second, I didn't even notice. We all lose our mucus plug, but just may not notice. We are all individual bodies and act in different ways even in different births with the same bodies. The contractions you are having, as you've probably been told are Braxton Hicks contractions. It's your bodies way of preparing for labor and "practicing" those uterine muscles. Your body knows best when you are ready. I wish you much luck in your birthing journey! :)

I lost my mucus plug at 36 weeks! Everyone told me that he would be born right after the plug came out, but they were so wrong -- he was born at 41 weeks! I even had to be induced! Every woman is different, I guess.

with my 1st daughter i lost my plug at 36 weeks, heres the catch, she was a weel late, so i lost it 4 weeks before i had her, with my 2nd daughter, i didnt lose the plug till i was already in labor, so you never know, i dont belive the lost plug means anything, they all said to me if you loose your plug, labor will be around the corner within a week or two, well my 1st child, proved otherwise, so i no longer believ in that theory. good luck

Hi M.,
There's no telling, really. You might be in labor as I type this, you might also carry to term. If your water breaks and you do not go into labor, that is another story. (You are OK with that for about a day, but then you risk infection so they want to know about that.) I was sent to bed at 24 weeks with my second child for this, I was 6 centemeters dialated and had lost my mucus plug. I finally got OUT of bed at 36 weeks, convinced by the doctors that I would instantaneously go into labor the nano second my feet hit the floor and... i delivered my second child at 41 weeks. You just never know. Babies show up when they are good and ready and not before, I guess! Good luck to you on a good delivery and a healthy child.

S. D.

Hi M.-
For me, I lost my mucus plug on the 12th of August and my water broke on the 26th. Her due date was Sept 6th.
It was a two week gap, at the time I was hoping for sooner!
Congratulations in advance!

My suggestion is to never guess about labor if you are not sure. It is always good to check with a doctor since every person is different. Even strong and consistent contractions should go away if you are not in labor. If the contractions are under 10 minutes apart and somewhat consistent, GET CHECKED. I had contractions early on, sometimes hard contractions every 4-5 minutes for an hour before they subsided. The Dr. said I would know the difference when the "REAL" labor started but the real labor felt the same as the contraction I had for the prior 6 weeks, the only difference was this time a baby came out. :-)
Also, my friend had light contractions until they were only a few minutes apart so she didn't think she was in labor and she barely made it to the hospital in time. Take care & Good luck

I went into labor about a week after I lost my mucus plug. Good luck!

My mucus plug was disrupted when the OB/GYN examined me--he said sometimes they reform. I went into labor 2 weeks later. Good luck!

I lost my mucus plug by the time I was 35 1/2 weeks. The doctor's had stopped my labor because the baby's (whose name is now Eros) lungs were premature. I was prescribed medication to stop or slow down the contractions. They slowed and stopped but only for a couple weeks. Then I went into actual labor again and had the baby.

I do remember no baths! Showers are okay. Take it easy. You're almost there!

I don't know, I lost mine while I was already in the hospital. I just wanted to say good luck and I hope you have a quick delivery and a speedy/healthy recovery! Good luck and welcome baby!!!

I lost mine at 35 1/2 weeks and everybody told me the same thing... "you're going to have that baby any minute now"... not neccesarily, she was born at 39 1/2 weeks... Good luck!!

I lost my plug at 37 weeks and went into labor 2 days before my due date, so it was about 2 1/2 weeks later. My OB/GYN said that losing your mucus plug is not a good indicator of when labor will start.
Good luck!

I expect you've notified the Birth Person/MD/or Midwife, as they may want to do that C-section sooner than on the 3rd! This could be the start of your labor...
Within a week of losing the plug, the majority of women begin true labor; and, it's usually a sign that the babe is moving into position lower in the pelvis....
Good fortune to you and your little lady, and to your whole family!
M. A

I lost mine about 2 weeks before I went into labor. Congrats & good luck!

I agree with another posting...you may want an earlier c-sec date.

I wonder if your baby has ideas different from your schedule...

I lost mine about three days before going into labor---and ended up having a c-section after 20 hours of labor. But, yes, from what I understand, it could still be a few weeks, so you could still make it all the way to your January 3 c-section! Best of luck and congratulations!!

I went into labor 2 days later when I lost it I went to the hospital thinking I was in labor. They tried to tell me it could be up to 4 weeks later. Yeah right, 2 days

Hi..I was 21 when I had my daughter..I lost my plug in the shower friday night and by monday morning she was born..Althought my husband and I were intamite that sunday before might have alot to do with it..But it was just a matter of days..Good luck!

I lost mine and then almost 48hrs later I was at the hospital with labor pains..

good luck