11:27 a.m. - 2006-10-06
Plug It In, Plug It In
Recently, a well-meaning friend asked me if I knew about the mucus plug. Oh, I know about the mucus plug, alright. Do YOU know about the mucus plug?
If you've never been pregnant, it's one of those things that you probably have zero knowledge about -- and why would you? When Rachel on "Friends" went into labor, she never had a conversation with Monica or Ross about her mucus plug. It's one of those things polite people don't discuss, like hemorrhoids.
But apparently, all pregnant women have one. And it's exactly what it sounds like it would be: a wad of snot plugging up your uterus through your cervix. And once your cervix begins to dilate in preparation for labor, the plug becomes, well, unplugged, and falls out. So, if you're paying attention and the timing is right, at some point toward the end of your pregancy, you'll be greeted by a snotty-looking wad, maybe tinged with blood. YUM! How fun does that sound?
Not all women notice this, though, and not because they're (like me) oblivious. Our childbirth instructor told us it could happen in the shower (and since I can't even see my belly button anymore, I'd have no clue if I was passing anything down there), or even when you go to the bathroom (and if, like me, you pee every hour nightly, and don't even bother to turn on the light anymore, you might not see it).
So far, I think I'm still plugged up. But if I become unplugged, rest assured, you'll be the first to know about it.
