I lost my mucuous plug!

ok, stop reading if you don't want to know anything in graphic detail about the pregnancy!

As always, I get up several times in the middle of the night to pee. At 4:45am last night, I noticed that I am losing my mucous plug. It's a small amount of thickened mucus that has sealed my cervical canal during the last nine months to protect against bacteria etc. I lost about 1/2 of teaspoon and they say it could happen all at once or gradually. I guess as my cervix startis to thin in preparation for labor and delivery, this plug will loosen and discharge.

As I am 37 weeks pregnant and the mucous plug is clear in color, this is normal - just a sign that things are starting to move along inside - exciting and scary. I have also started feel braxton hicks contractions. not painful, but weird. My whole tummy just tighten up for awhile and then it relaxed. It's not regular, so I know it's not real labor.

I wonder if I will deliver early. Some books say losing your mucous plug has no indication of when labor may start. It could 1, 2, or 3 weeks away. Since I am still 3 weeks away from my due date, I interpret this as actually I may labor earlier. Another book actually only said up to a week or more away - wow, that would be very soon. Not sure if we are all prepared for that yet.

This is making me want to get everything done this weekend just in case. Anyways, only time can tell what this actually means. Either way, we will soon meet our daughter. :-)

- Lei