A show is the mucous plug that functions as a sealer for your cervix during your pregnancy. It helps protect your baby (along with the amniotic sac) from the external world and it stays with you until you are ready for delivery.

This is a sign that your cervix is going through the labour process, softening and dilating, preparing your uterus and body for childbirth.

Imagine a cork, but clear, gelatinous and with a mucous texture.

No, you should never do that. By doing this, your risk of infection will get very high. We know that pregnancy can make some women anxious, but let nature do its work.

This varies from woman to woman. This period of time can go from a few minutes to a few weeks before the labour process starts.

You do not have to worry about it, nothing bad is going to happen. It does not matter if you discharge your mucous plug weeks before labour, your baby is still going to be protected by the amniotic sac and new developing mucous. You can have a normal pregnant life until labour starts.

Yes, this mucous cork will always discharge before labour. A different thing is that some women may not notice this process (for many reasons), but it will always happen.

Commonly, this happens before, but you can sometimes leak amniotic fluid due to a tear in the amniotic sac. Either way, if your water breaks or you begin to leak fluid, you should go to your doctor.

A bloody show is the same as a mucous show, but with blood. This occurs because the blood vessels located in the cervix are rupturing due to this structure´s labour changes. This should happen after 37 weeks of pregnancy. If it happens earlier, you should go to your doctor immediately.

This can go from a few hours to a day or two. Either way, prepare your bags and go to see your doctor because you will not have that much time until the first labour signs arrive.