It can be translucent or transparent, with the color being a little off-white, bloody, or brown. The mucus plug is usually sticky and odorless, ranging in size from 1 to 2 inches.
Losing your mucus plug is a natural phenomenon, so losing it does not cause any side effects or harm unless your mucus plug is lost well before its natural time, which is 37 weeks. This can cause several side effects, including early delivery and cesarean birth.
Best Ways To Speed Up Labor After Losing Your Mucus Plug
It would be evident if you lost your mucous plug, as you could even feel it moving downward and exiting from the vagina. You can also identify it by the way it looks and feels.
The most effective ways to speed up your labor after losing your mucus plug are straightforward, yet they require time and persistence to be effective. Although they have been proven beneficial to several people, that doesn’t mean they would be equally helpful for everyone.
How To Speed Up Labor Before Losing Your Mucus Plug?
Speeding up labor before losing your mucus plug is precisely similar to speeding up after losing the mucus plug. The most basic methods include exercising and having sexual intercourse, using acupuncture and acupressure techniques, and having hot baths.
Pregnancy Work-Out
Regular exercise doesn’t mean you have to do rigorous training or exercises. Some light-hearted and calm exercises can also be efficient. The main goal here is to be persistent. Some fundamental exercises include;
- Walking: Walking has proven to be one of the most efficient ways of inducing labor in the early and later stages of pregnancy. It dilates the cervix and speeds up labor.
- Standing Upright: It might not seem like a big deal, but just standing upright and letting gravity do the work helps the labor.
- Doing Sit-ups: This is one of the most efficient and most commonly prescribed methods by gynecologists. You just have to do simple situps but stay persistent every day. This will help keep you active and help stretch the cervix.
- Climbing Stairs: Climbing stairs aid in speeding up the labor after losing your mucus plug. For this, you don't have to climb a flight of stairs, but you can climb up and down on just one or two stairs.
- Curb Walking: Curb walking takes normal walking to the next level by placing one foot on the curb and the other on the ground. This imbalanced walking helps your legs spread, eventually aiding in labor.
Sexual Intercourse
Having high sexual intercourse during the late pregnancy period also aids in the speed-up of labor as the prostaglandins in male semen help in dilating the cervix. Also, if you get an orgasm during sex, releasing oxytocin can help with uterine wall contraction.
Eating Dates
As dates have a very high glucose level, they help speed up labor. Studies found that women eating lots of dates had babies much more quickly than women who did not.
Nipple Stimulation
Nipple stimulation is one of the most effective ways of inducing labor. You can stimulate by hand or with breast pumps; both methods help release oxytocin, which contracts the uterus and speeds up labor. Research has found that almost 50% of the women trying nipple stimulation went into labor the next day, while others experienced labor within the next 2 to 3 days.
Birthing Ball - Labor Balls
Birthing balls, also known as labor balls, are an efficient way to induce labor quickly and avoid much pain during birth. These are the same balls that are used during physical therapy. These are very simple to use, i.e., by placing them under the back while lying, bouncing on them, and keeping them under your hips while moving in circles.
Acupuncture To Induce Labor Fast
Although there isn’t much research in this field, applying pressure to specific points might help induce labor quickly. These points include
- SP6 Point
- BL32 Point
- LI4 Point
Relax Nerves And Long Warm Showers
Taking on too much stress regarding pregnancy is also one of the most common reasons for delayed pregnancy. You can help speed up labor after losing your mucus plug by simply relaxing and taking long, warm showers.
How To Avoid Losing Mucus Plug?
Losing your mucus plug is not bad as long as you have passed 37 weeks of pregnancy. But if your mucus plug is lost before 37 weeks, it can cause several complications, and you might need a c-section to deliver your baby. So, to avoid losing your mucus plug early, you just need to avoid having rigorous sex and avoid excessive stretching exercises like cycling and mountain climbing.
Things To Avoid After Losing Mucus Plug
Even if you have lost your mucus plug, your baby is still protected in the amniotic sac. Some things alter the labor time or put you in dangerous positions that should be avoided. These don't have any scientific data to back them up but are usually famous among people as being customary.
Midwives Ventures
Although many believe midwives can give the most effective drinks during pregnancy, it is a myth. Most of the time, the methods of midwives are very ineffective and dangerous.
These include the use of:
- Midwives Brew
- Primrose Oil
- Raspberry Oil
- Clary sage Oil
All these oils and brews are just there without any scientific backup and are hazardous with several side effects. So, even if they have a positive effect on some people, it is not necessary that they would also be of any benefit to you.
Excessive Pineapples
Yes, eating pineapples can help speed up labor after you lose your mucus plug, but for them to have an appropriate effect, they must be eaten in large quantities. This might interrupt your stomach and cause diarrhea, which can cause unease, as diarrhea can also cause bowel movements and cramps in some cases.
Herbs
Some people might go toward eating herbs of different types for inducing quick labor, but in reality, most herbs are hazardous to your and your baby’s health. Some of the most famous herbs include Black Cohosh and Evening Raspberry Oil.
Spicy Foods
If you are sensitive to spicy foods, you should not try this conventional method of eating spicy foods to induce labor. Spicy foods can cause ulcerations in your stomach and irritate your bowels, causing discomfort during critical days.
Difference Between Mucus Plug and Regular Discharge
What Can Cause The Mucus Plug To Fall Out Early?
There can be several reasons for this, but losing the plug always occurs during the loosening or thinning of the cervix, either naturally or pathologically. Some of the fundamental reasons include the following:
Cervical examination:
During the cervical examination by health care personnel, your cervix may dilate, causing the loosening of the mucus plug.
Having Rigorous Sex:
Good, sensual sex suits your pregnancy, but having rigorous sex may cause excessive cervix dilation and eventually loosen the mucus plug.
FAQs
Why Is The Mucus Plug Lost In Pregnant Women?
Losing the mucus plug naturally means that your pregnancy is progressing, and your labor will start soon, ranging from a few hours to several days. It is a natural phenomenon that initiates when the cervix becomes thin and opens. As the plug is present at the opening of the cervix, the gradual thinning and opening of the cervix cause loosening and, eventually, the fall of the plug.
What To Do If Your Mucus Plug Is Lost Too Early?
There can be several complications if your mucus plug is lost early, leading to premature delivery or other complications regarding pregnancy. However, there is no need to panic regarding the bacterial attack on the baby, as the baby is still safe from most bacterial invasions.
Can You Go Into Labor Without Losing Your Mucus Plug?
People might lose their mucus plugs at different times, ranging from a few hours before labor to several days. It depends on the thickness and opening of your cervix wall. Some women do not even lose their mucus plug until their labor starts. So it is entirely normal not to lose your mucus plug until your labor has started.
When does the mucus plug form during pregnancy?
The mucus plug forms when the egg is fertilized at the start of pregnancy. It reaches its full, mature size at the age of 12 weeks. It has a critical role in pregnancy.
How long after losing your mucus plug will labor start?
It usually varies from person to person. Some women experience labor just a few hours after losing the mucus plug, while others may even take days until labor begins.
How do you know if you are in slow labor?
Slow labor is usually caused by inefficient uterine contractions, which you can check by measuring the rate of cervix dilation. The dilation is measured for 4 hours, and if it is less than 0.4 per hour, then you might have been experiencing slow labor.
Are mucus plugs and blood show the same thing?
Most people might not know the difference between the two, but they are entirely different things. The "bloody show" is the blood discharge resulting from rupturing a blood vessel in the cervix, which is less thick than the mucus plug. On the other hand, the mucus plug is usually off-white, has a definitive shape to some extent, and is thick in consistency. It is discharged due to the thinning or opening of the cervix.
Should you go to a hospital after losing your mucus plug?
There is no need to go to a hospital as long as it is not very painful, which may symbolize some abnormality; otherwise, it is an entirely natural phenomenon.
Does It Pain When Your Mucus Plug Is Lost?
No, most women do not feel any pain while losing the mucus plug; instead, some can't even tell if they are not paying attention if they have lost it or not. Losing your mucus plug is a natural process, and it is entirely painless.
