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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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When Is Delivery Of Baby Expected After Loss Of Mucus Plug?

I'm in my second pregnancy..it's a back to back pregnancy so my body has had only about 4-5 months or recovery before i got pregant again. Right now I'm about 36 weeks pregnant... 2 days ago I contracted for about 6 hours so i went to the hospital the examined me and said i was dialated 1 centimeter. Yesterday I lost my plug.... I'm just wondering how long do you think i have befor I deliver?
Tue, 29 Mar 2016
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OBGYN,  's  Response
Hello, and i hope I can help you today.

Losing your mucous plug, without any bleeding or contractions, is not necessarily a sign that labor is imminent. In addition, many women dilate before labor with a second baby, and can be dilated even up to 3 cm for weeks before labor begins.

In addition, the examination in the hospital to check to see if you were dilated probably introduced lubricating jelly on the doctor's glove and can often cause some blood and mucous to appear the next day. This is common after a pelvic examination and may not actually represent true loss of the mucous plug.

So in summary, losing your mucous plug is not really a reliable indication of when labor will take place, especially if it happens before full term. I can say that you are more likely to deliver before your due date if you are dilated this early, but it could still be weeks before real labor starts.

So if you experience contractions that are strong and regular again and get to be 5 minutes apart for at least 2 hours, or if you thing you broke your water (which has the consistency of water and should be enough to soak your underwear to your clothes) or if you have any bright red vaginal or heavy bleeding, you should return to the hospital for evaluation.

I hope i was able to adequately answer your question today and that my advice was helpful.

Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy,

Dr. Brown
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When Is Delivery Of Baby Expected After Loss Of Mucus Plug?

Hello, and i hope I can help you today. Losing your mucous plug, without any bleeding or contractions, is not necessarily a sign that labor is imminent. In addition, many women dilate before labor with a second baby, and can be dilated even up to 3 cm for weeks before labor begins. In addition, the examination in the hospital to check to see if you were dilated probably introduced lubricating jelly on the doctor s glove and can often cause some blood and mucous to appear the next day. This is common after a pelvic examination and may not actually represent true loss of the mucous plug. So in summary, losing your mucous plug is not really a reliable indication of when labor will take place, especially if it happens before full term. I can say that you are more likely to deliver before your due date if you are dilated this early, but it could still be weeks before real labor starts. So if you experience contractions that are strong and regular again and get to be 5 minutes apart for at least 2 hours, or if you thing you broke your water (which has the consistency of water and should be enough to soak your underwear to your clothes) or if you have any bright red vaginal or heavy bleeding, you should return to the hospital for evaluation. I hope i was able to adequately answer your question today and that my advice was helpful. Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy, Dr. Brown