Once the tampon comes out, how long does it take for the baby to be born?

Once the tampon comes out, how long does it take for the baby to be born?

Health

It is not possible to say exactly how long after the mucous plug comes out the baby will be born. This happens because, in some cases, the plug can come out up to 3 weeks before the start of labor, and therefore, losing the mucous plug does not mean that the baby will be born that same day.

However, there are cases in which the tampon comes out little by little during the last weeks of pregnancy, and this can happen without the person realizing that the process of detachment of the tampon has already begun, and on rare occasions it can also happen that the tampon comes out only at the time of labor.

Therefore, it is recommended that you pay attention to the signs of labor, as the time from the mucous plug leaving until delivery is variable, as you can lose the plug and go into labor within hours, while on other occasions, it can take a few hours. weeks. See what are the signs that labor has started.

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Why does the mucous plug come out?

The mucous plug comes out when the amount of the hormone progesterone, which is present throughout pregnancy and prevents premature contractions, begins to reduce. From then on, the uterus becomes soft and becomes thinner, and the consequence of this is that the mucous plug ends up coming out, as it can no longer rest on the walls of the muscle. Check out what the mucous plug might look like and how to know if it has already come out.

What to do until labor

If the mucous plug comes out and labor has not yet started, it is recommended to practice activities that can help the baby get into the most appropriate position for birth, prepare the body’s muscles for birth, in addition to relieve anxiety and stress that may be present.

These activities are:

  • Visit the hospital or maternity hospital chosen for the birth;
  • Mount the playlist of birth songs;
  • Do exercises with the yoga ball;
  • Practice stretching techniques;
  • To walk;
  • To dance.

During the period from when the mucous plug comes out until the birth of the baby, it is important that the pregnant woman feels physical and psychological well-being, so that labor begins naturally and in the best way possible. Practicing light physical exercise, when there is no medical contraindication, is capable of releasing hormones such as endorphins, which help in this process. Find out 8 ways to relieve pain during labor.

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Bibliography
  • NIH. Cervical cerclage in combination with other treatments for preventing preterm birth in singleton pregnancies. 2017. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6485990/>. Accessed on Aug 12, 2020
  • NHS. Signs that labour has begun. Disponível em: <https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/labour-signs-what-happens/>. Acesso em 12 ago 2020
  • NHS. What happens during labour and birth. Disponível em: <https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/what-happens-during-labour-and-birth/>. Acesso em 12 ago 2020