[sweet tea]

or does it always happen in sequence after you lose your mucus plug?<br><br>
Just curious if anyone knew, I'm reading Ina May's guide to childbirth and she describes the cervix being sealed by the plug until the hours before labor begins (pg144) But I have heard of women dialating in the last month of pregnancy..so have they all lost there plug. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/headscratch.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="headscratch"><br><br>
I know it seems like a stupid question...but I plan on visualizing everything that is happening inside me to help labor along, and this question is going to hinder my abilities..lol<br>
like with the contractions i feel the last few weeks of pregnancy, do I visualize my cervix thinning and dialation, or do I start with the mucus plug?<br><br>
thanks in adavance <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[anothermama]

This is my hypothesis..........<br><br>
I dialated a little with both my kids prior to any real labor happening......about 2cm with each.<br><br>
The plug is mucous.........and so my *guess* is that to a certain point it will stretch and still stick in there.......<br><br>
I assume that at a certain point of dialation (4? 6?) it can't hang on and then will come out..........with both my kids it came out at about 3 cm, however with my son I got to 3 with no real labor also.

 

[wardermom]

I have only lost my mucous plug early in labour 1 out of 6 times. With the rest, it was pushed out when I started pushing. Losing my mucous plug is not an early sign for me.

 

[LittleOne03]

With my son, I lost my plug 4 weeks before I was induced (at 40 weeks). I had dilated to a 3 at that point, and walked around like that for 4 weeks... Soooo, I would definitely say I lost mine WELL before early labor started. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin">

 

[Marsupialmom]

Your body can make more mucous plug.<br><br>
With my first I never noticed a mucus plug.<br><br>
With my second it was obvious. I also knew I was in labor.<br><br>
With my third I lost it bits and pieces at a time. Doctor told me that you keep on making the stuff, to help keep germs out. I started this about three weeks before my dd showed up.<br><br>
Loosing mucus plug is not a good predictor of labor.<br><br>
So, IMO if you start visualization start somewere else.

 

[Foobar]

With Goo, my cervix dilated and I slowly lost peices of the plug. It didn't come out in one clump like some people.<br><br>
I believe the body will continue to manufacture more mucus during the early dilation phases.<br><br>
Focus first on relaxing, softening and opening the cervix.<br>
Honestly, I wouldn't even worry about thinking about the plug, just on how the cervix is preparing for your baby

 

[pamamidwife]

I've seen women lose their plug at 8cm or so. It's not a given that it will happen in a particular order - sometimes the "plug" gets pushed over inside the cervix/uterine neck and doesn't appear until later in labor....or some not at all. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[Liba]

I never saw a "plug" of mucus before or during labor but I did pass a lot of mucus in late pregnancy with my second and have had a lot of mucus this time as well (I have been having contractions for weeks and have started dialating and effacing). From what I have been told your body will keep on making more mucus to block the cervical opening until the baby is born, dialated or not.

 

[Artisan]

I was 3 cm when I started labor, and never noticed a plug of any kind.

 

[Jennifer H]

I have no idea when I lost my plug. I was dilated to 3 a couple of days before going into labor with my first and to 4.5 several days before my second was born.