Ask A Nurse
Birth Plans
Birth Stories
Bookstore
Boy or Girl
Cesareans
Chat Room
Complications
Doulas
Educators
Episiotomy
FAQs
Feeding Baby
Fertility
Finding a Class
Health
Interactive
Labor
Message Board
Monitoring
Newborns
Postcards
Postpartum
Pregnancy
Reviews/Awards
Search
VBAC
Week by Week

Ask A Nurse
Questions and Answers

Q. What is a mucus plug? How long after you lose it do you expect to go into labour (second pregancy)?

A. Your mucous plug is a portion of mucous that forms in the neck of the cervix to hlep protect your baby during pregnancy from infections, etc. As your cervix begins to open and thin for labor the mucous plug can dislodge.

This can be in one solid chunk, just seen as an increase in discharge. It can also be tinged with blood or contain pink or brown discharge.

Once you lose your mucous plug, while it means that things are under way, it can be anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks before the baby will arrive. Just remember it's a step in the right diretcion.

Cyndi Klausing, RN, ACCE, has been a childbirth educator and breastfeeding counselor for over 18 years. She currently works as a newborn nursery nurse and is the mother of four sons.

Cyndi will answer your questions on fertility, pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and babies. Her advice does not take the place of your practitioner. Personal answers will not always be possible.