Each woman, as the long-awaited day of seeing her baby approaches, is very interested in what the cork looks like before childbirth and what to do if it has moved away.
Mucus plug before childbirth
So, the mucous plug is the natural protection of the fetus from all kinds of external influences, as well as from infection. For this, mucus is produced in the female body, which closes the cervix for a certain time. It is called a “cork” because it clogs the passage very well.
It should be noted that such mucus is produced by special glands that are on the cervix. In addition, some female hormones help produce it.
The discharge of the mucous plug before childbirth occurs due to the fact that the body begins to actively prepare for the birth of the baby. This happens as follows: the cervix slowly begins to open and becomes smooth, and the uterine muscles come into tone. The hormone estrogen makes the plug thicker.viscous, liquefying it, causing the cork to come out directly through the vagina.
What a cork looks like before childbirth
If you're wondering what a cork looks like before childbirth, it looks different for all women. The color of the cork depends on the characteristics of each woman: from transparent light yellow to light brown. As a rule, the cork has a pinkish or yellowish tint. It acquires a pink color due to the fact that when the neck is opened, small capillaries can break, releasing blood. If you find bloody discharge with a cork, then in this case you should definitely contact your gynecologist. In any case, you need to warn your gynecologist that the plug has come off.
In addition, the cork can come out in different quantities: for some pregnant women, it comes out in small clots over 2-3 days, while for others it comes out in the form of a large clot at a time.
When the cork comes out
You already know what a cork looks like before childbirth. Now let's deal with when it starts to come out. So, the exit of the cork indicates that the body begins to prepare for the upcoming birth, but does not mean the beginning of labor. Contractions are signs of the onset of labor. But as for the mucous plug, it can come out two weeks before the birth, and a few days before them.
That is, the mucous plug is a kind of signal that the body has begun preparing for childbirth, but when they begin will depend on the individualphysiology of a woman.
If you have a mucus plug, this does not mean that you urgently need to start packing and go to the hospital. You just need to go to the doctor and tell about what the plug was, whether there were blood discharges with it, and after the examination, the doctor will already decide whether you are going to the hospital or it’s too early.
What else you need to know
Many people confuse a cork with a discharge of water. But these are completely different things that are easy enough to distinguish:
- Mucus plug is thick, unlike amniotic fluid;
- amniotic fluid is transparent, but the cork can have from yellow-pink to brownish shades;
- amniotic fluid continuously drains, and the cork is separated in portions-clots.
Knowing all these nuances and entering the hospital on time, you can give birth to a he althy baby.
