But exams can be helpful for planning an upcoming induction or for estimating how much time you'll have to get to the hospital if you have a history of fast labors.
Cervical exams can be uncomfortable, and they can't predict future labor timing. When you're at or near your due date, your doctor or midwife may do a vaginal exam during a prenatal visit to see whether your cervix has started the process of effacement and dilation. Still, that's no guarantee that labor is imminent. If you've given birth before, your cervix is more likely to dilate a centimeter or more before labor starts. In the days and weeks before delivery, changes in the connective tissue of your cervix make it soften and lead to dilation and effacement. Having sex or a vaginal exam can also disturb the mucus in your cervix and result in some blood-tinged discharge or bleeding, even when labor isn't necessarily starting any time soon.Ĭall your provider if you have vaginal bleeding heavier than a period, consistent red bleeding that's not slowing, or bleeding in combination with abdominal pain. You may notice it a few days – or even weeks – before you go into labor, or you may notice it at the beginning of labor.
This is called "bloody show." Sometimes this happens as you lose your mucus plug (the mucus may be tinged with blood) but it can also happen independently. When your cervix starts to soften, you may notice pink discharge or bright red blood. Other colors – such as yellow, green, or gray – may signal an infection or other problem. Normal, healthy discharge is usually creamy white or clear, but it may also be tinged brown, pink, or red. You may have noticed more vaginal discharge during pregnancy, thanks to your body's increased estrogen. Without the other signs of labor noted below, you don't need to call your doctor or midwife if you pass your mucus plug. The mucus plug may come out in a lump all at once or as an increased amount of clear, pink, or slightly bloody vaginal discharge over the course of several days – or even weeks. If you see mucus, it's likely a sign that you're dilating – but it can still be some time before labor begins. If your cervix begins to efface or dilate significantly as you get close to labor, you may pass your mucus plug – the small amount of thickened mucus that has collected within your cervical canal during your pregnancy. If this isn't your first baby, however, lightening may not happen until labor begins. (On the downside, you may need to pee more often because your baby's pressing on your bladder.)
If you experienced heartburn during pregnancy, it might now improve. When your baby drops, you might feel less pressure just below your ribcage, making it easier to catch your breath.
Lightening means your baby has "dropped" and now rests lower in your pelvis. If you have group B strep, your provider may want to see you soon after your water breaks to start treatment and lower the risk of your baby being exposed during labor and delivery.If this is your first pregnancy, you may feel what's known as lightening a few weeks before labor starts.
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