What does losing your mucus plug mean?

Question

My husband and i are trying to have a baby. so naturally I'm always in the pregnancy section reading answers and questions trying to help prepare myself. Well i see women asked about losing there mucus plug. what is it? and where does it come from? and since i don't think its the same as the water breaking when does it happen? Also anything else i should know would be great.

i plan to get books and read more online.

Thank you

Answer 1

The cervix produces a thick mucous which "plugs" the passage from v****a to uterus, lying between cervix and the amniotic sac.

At the end of pregnancy, the cervix starts to soften, thin out, and sometimes dilate (open) a little bit, and the mucous lets loose and comes out of the v****a. It doesn't look like a cork-like plug, but rather it is a thick, clear, stringy substance much like thick snot or rubber cement.

It can come out weeks before labor starts, and it is NOT a reliable indicator that labor is starting.

Answer 2

well it is basically just what it says.  it is a plug made of mucus type substance.  at or near birth, it will either come out at once when water breaks or it will come out slowly prior to like in pieces.  my sisters came out the day before her daughter was born, and everything happened at once when her son was born  (plug, water breaking).  she told me it looks like snot, but thicker.  kind of nasty, no other way to describe.  some people dont even know it happened and others do.  good luck with the baby thing

Answer 3

As you know, the cervix has an opening to allow sperm into it and during a period, blood and uterine tissue out of it.  

After conception, the body begins to build the "mucus plug" which is a solid, largish chuck of mucus that "plugs" this opening of the cervix.  It prevents infection and anything else from getting to the baby.  

Cervical dilation is when the hole begins to open to make room for the baby.  As the cervix opens more and more, the chunk of mucus becomes dislodged and passes down the v****a.  

Because early dilation can sometimes happen a few weeks before labor begins, losing your mucus plug is not necessarily a sign of the start of labor.  However, many women go into labor relatively soon (hours, days) after passing their plug.  

Answer 4

its a ball of mucus thats up near the baby and when the baby is ready the plug lodges loose allowing the water to drop and starting the baby decent

Answer 5

The mucus plug is over the cervix. Once labor starts: the plug often is discharged. it is pinkish, clear, and mucous like.

It's usually a good indication that labor has begun: in ernest! No going back!