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Within a month of your due date, it’s a good idea to keep a hospital bag packed. Though most babies arrive around their due date, it is possible that you’ll go into labor at any time.
As you near your due date, your body is making its own preparation for birth. Hormonal changes over the past few months have helped to loosen joints and ligaments to open your pelvis. There are also changes to your mucus plug and your cervix. Here’s what you can expect.
Signs you’re getting close to labor
During pregnancy, your body creates a barrier called a mucus plug. This barrier helps keep your baby safe inside your uterus. As your body prepares for birth, your cervix begins to soften. This causes the mucus plug to be released from your cervix. It’s normal to lose the mucus plug as you get closer to your due date, but it doesn’t mean that delivery is imminent. You may lose the mucus plug within hours or days of giving birth.
Sometimes there is a small amount of blood mixed with the mucus. This is known as a “bloody show” and is often an indicator that your cervix is starting to thin (efface) and open (dilate). While a bloody show can be normal late in pregnancy, any vaginal bleeding should be evaluated by your clinician.
What to do when you lose your mucus plug
While losing your mucus plug doesn’t typically require special evaluation or treatment, you should notify your clinician if you have clear, watery discharge (which could mean your bag of water has broken) or if you notice a foul odor to your discharge.
Changes to the cervix
Your cervix goes through changes that allow your baby to pass through the birth canal. As the birth gets closer, your cervix effaces, or thins out. The process of thinning out can take several days to weeks and typically feels like mild cramping.
Your cervix also dilates or opens. Your clinician measures dilation from 0 to 10 centimeters using their fingers. At 10 centimeters and with complete effacement, your cervix is considered fully open and you can start pushing.
How long effacement and dilation takes depends on each person. If this is your first baby, the process could take longer.
During labor, contractions help to dilate your cervix. The contractions also help your baby move lower in your pelvis. Your care team can evaluate how your baby is moving through the pelvis and into the birth canal by identifying the pelvic station. It’s measured from -5 centimeters to +5 centimeters as your labor progresses. A +5 station is when your baby’s head is crowning or has reached the opening of your vagina.
Your care team will monitor you closely as you prepare to give birth. They will assess the progress of your cervical dilation and your baby’s movement into your pelvis. It is also important for them to know how you are feeling, such as if you have more pressure or the urge to push. You and your care team can work together to help your labor progress and give birth to your healthy baby.