Hi today's video is all about the mucus plug- what it is, why it's there during pregnancy,
what it means when it comes out and what colour it normally is. My name's Anja and I'm a hypnobirthing
practitioner specialising in antenatal education and positive birth preparation. Don't forget to hit
the subscribe button because I upload new videos every single week and I don't want you to miss any ;)
So where is your mucus plug located in pregnancy and what is its purpose? At the top of your
birth canal or vagina is your cervix and during pregnancy your cervix remains tightly closed with
just a small hole in the middle that leads all the way up to your uterus or your womb. That small
hole there is normally where your menstrual period will come out of each month and where sperm will
travel up to conceive a baby. When you're pregnant, your body will produce a mucus plug
in your cervical opening to block any bacteria or germs from getting to your baby in the womb.
You could say that your mucus plug acts a bit like a cork that you would find at the top of a
bottle. In your third trimester of pregnancy your cervix will start to thin and shorten in length
and this is also called effacement, softening or ripening of the cervix. When this happens your
mucus plug will become dislodged and fall out and this is a sign that your body is getting geared
up for labour. You may notice that your mucus plug comes out a few days or a week or two
before your labour starts. For example, my mucus plug came out 10 days before I went into labour.
Sometimes, however, your mucus plug might come out at the start of labour. What does the mucus plug
look like? Well it looks like how it sounds, a big blob of mucus! Your mucus plug can range in size
from a really small amount to a larger blob but every variation is normal when you're pregnant for
the very first time your mucus plug can be smaller than the size of a mucus plug in a second or third
time mum. That's because, when you're pregnant again, your cervix can be a little bit softer and more
open because you may have given birth vaginally before so the mucus plug needs to be a little bit
larger to block bacteria and germs from getting in. When you're pregnant for the first time your
cervix has never opened or dilated before so the mucus plug is likely to be smaller because there's
not so much space to fill. Your mucus plug could come out all in one go or little bits at a time.
Most women will notice it in their underwear or on a piece of tissue paper when they're wiping
themselves after going to the toilet. However, you might not notice it at all. It might just fall
out into the toilet when you're doing a poo or a wee and you flush it down without realizing that it's
come away. Some pregnant ladies can feel shocked or surprised when they notice their mucus plug
but rest assured that it's completely natural and normal and it's just a sign that your body
is getting ready for labour and that you'll be meeting your baby really soon. Now let's move on to
what colour the mucus plug usually is... The colour of a mucus plug can vary. Sometimes it's cloudy
white often it's blood tinged or pink in colour. If your mucus plug is blood tinged or pink
don't worry about this, it's really normal. It just means that a few capillaries in your cervix have
broken and a bit of blood has leaked into the mucus plug as your cervix has begun to shorten
and thin ready for labour. It's also normal for your mucus plug to be brownish if the capillary
blood is a little bit old. I just wanted to point out here, although this is rare, if you notice that
your mucus plug is yellow, green or foul smelling - this could indicate possible infection so make
sure that you call your care team straight away and get checked out, I do recommend that
you google 'mucus plug images' and have a look at a few photos so that you have a better
idea of what your mucus plug could look like when it comes away. Thank you so much for watching this
video today! Please share it with a pregnant friend of yours if you think it can help them :)
Don't forget to subscribe to my channel because every single subscription helps me to reach and
support more pregnant women worldwide so thank you so much! If you've got any questions or comments,
please let me know by leaving me a message down below. If you're keen to sign up to one of my free
hypnobirthing taster sessions, or to find out more information about my hypnobirthing courses, please
also click the links in the video description below. Take care and see you again soon, bye!