We’re not going to lie: the end of pregnancy can sometimes seem long and tiring for the mother-to-be. When you are in the 9th month, everything is going well and you are simply advised to rest (rightly, by the way), it is not uncommon to be on the lookout for the slightest sign that labor has started and delivery is near.
However, between preconceived ideas and the real signs of imminent childbirth, there is sometimes a world of difference. We asked Anna Roy, midwife and author*, to disentangle the true from the false.
Loss of the mucous plug and lowered stomach: will I give birth soon?
The loss of the mucous plug is one of the signs we look for to know if childbirth is near. This plug is actually an accumulation of cervical mucus (“which looks like raw egg white” according to the midwife) whose role is to protect the fetus from external infections. “Its loss actually occurs towards the end of the pregnancy, but it is not a systematic symptom of the start of labor and not a reason to go to the maternity ward”specifies Anna Roy, who emphasizes thatwe can just as easily lose it 3 weeks before as at the time of delivery.
Other “signs” frequently observed: a boost in energy, cramps in the legs or even the feeling that the stomach has sunk. “Here again, these are not scientific signs and they work every time, far from it”affirms the midwife who recalls that “No one is equipped with a crystal ball to say when the birth will take place, neither the mother-to-be, nor the caregivers.”
The real signs of imminent labor
For our expert, only two signs are truly indicative of an imminent delivery (and labor which may have started): the breaking of the water bag and regular contractions.
“There are different situations for the loss of the water bag”explains Anna Roy. “The first is a clean break, with a clear liquid, a bit like in the movies, where the woman feels water running between her legs. There, she has 2 hours to get to the maternity ward. second situation, it is a cracking of the water pocket : the woman loses a little fluid, which flows less freely. But as soon as you have any doubt, you must go to the maternity ward where a test will determine if it is indeed cracking.” Third situation, the water bag cracks but the liquid is green or yellow: “This is a sign that the baby has passed its first stools into the amniotic fluid and you absolutely must go to the maternity ward without delay.”
The midwife indicates that regular, painful contractions – every 5 minutes for 2 hours for a first baby, for 1 hour for a second baby – are also a good reason to go to the maternity ward, because labor has probably started . “The combination of contractions + loss of water may accelerate labor, so we don’t wait to go to the maternity ward.”
Pregnancy: when to go to the maternity ward?
Apart from signs that childbirth is imminent, other situations require going to the emergency room at the maternity ward. Anna Roy quotes ainshe is bleeding, regardless of color or amount of blood lost“but also “a baby who no longer moves or moves less, a fall or a blow to the stomach, or even a fever above 38°C without easy identification”.
In any case, if you ever observe signs that worry you, do not hesitate to call the maternity ward and to seek the advice of a midwife or a doctor to be reassured or to know whether you need to travel for additional examinations.
*Anna Roy co-wrote the book Your pregnancy, from the desire to have a child to postpartum (ed. Hatier Parents) with pediatrician Dr. Arnault Pfersdorff.
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