It's 7am and I haven't slept more than 4 hours since 10pm last night... I woke up at about midnight just not feeling very good... Stomach hurt, almost like cramps and lower back hurt... then I went to pee and noticed that the tp had a pink/red tinged discharge. (If this is tmi for you, you may want to stop reading my blog now... I would imagine that over the next few hours or days, however long this lasts, there is the potential for things to get more graphic)... I woke up hubby, showed him the evidence and we both jumped on our iPhones to see what it meant... Is this the mucous plug? Bloody show? What does this mean? Early labor? We both determined that whatever it was, it was normal and if I wasn't having contractions, we should just try to get back to sleep... Hubby fell asleep a bit easier than I did... I eventually dozed off and slept 2 more hours... Of course, I woke up a few more times to pee and at 5 or so decided that I needed a change of scenery so I came out to the couch... I had a bowl of cereal, watched a little Dateline and now I'm just sitting here wondering what's going on... Is today the day?
Despite all of the books I've read and my incessant googling, I have no idea what's happening right now... The baby is still moving around... I have this menstrual crampy like feeling... definite pressure in my lower back and now when I pee and wipe, there is a little discharge with a brown tinge to it...
I am comforted to know that some progress is being made... I just wonder how much...
According to Babycenter.com, the following is a "sign" that labor will happen in the next few days or weeks:
You may pass your mucus plug — the small amount of thickened mucus that has sealed your cervical canal during the last nine months — if your cervix begins to dilate as you get close to labor.
The plug may come out in a lump or as increased vaginal discharge over the course of several days. The mucus may be tinged with brown, pink, or red blood, which is why it's referred to as "bloody show."
You may pass your mucus plug — the small amount of thickened mucus that has sealed your cervical canal during the last nine months — if your cervix begins to dilate as you get close to labor.
The plug may come out in a lump or as increased vaginal discharge over the course of several days. The mucus may be tinged with brown, pink, or red blood, which is why it's referred to as "bloody show."
On WhattoExpect.com it says:
Knowing that you can go any day, you should be watching out for signs of labor: regular contractions, rupture of membranes (water breaking), diarrhea or nausea (many women experience these types of digestive disturbances just before the onset of labor), spurts of energy, loss of the mucous plug, and bloody show (which is a sign of labor, not a gory new horror movie).
During pregnancy, your cervical opening becomes blocked with a thick plug of mucus that prevents bacteria from entering the uterus. When your cervix begins to loosen, this mucous plug is dislodged. Some women notice the passage of the mucous plug (what exactly is that in the toilet?), others don't (especially if you're the flush-and-rush type). Unfortunately, the discharge of the mucous plug is in no way a reliable indicator of when labor might begin. It could be hours, days, or even weeks before real contractions begin.
A somewhat more reliable indicator of impending labor is the passage of the bloody show — a stringy mucous discharge tinged with pink or brown blood. Such "bleeding" means the blood vessels in the cervix are rupturing as it dilates and effaces. Once you've watched the bloody show, labor is probably just a day or two away — though don't try to set your watch (or your labor stopwatch) to it, since it's not a definite timetable. But do make sure your bag is packed.
So, now the question is... did I see the "bloody show" or the "mucous plug"? Frankly, I'm a bit confused by the difference besides that one means labor is more imminent than the other... I never saw a mucous plug or anything that resembles what's being described above...
I guess it's back to the waiting game... I'm going to lie down and see if I can get a bit more sleep... If today is the day, I need to try and rest up to squirt this little sucker out.
