Expert: Catherine Beier MS CBE - 6/30/2008

Question
im due in 2 days im a 19 year old its my first child so i dont understand most things about pregnancy i think my mucus plugs came out it  was greeny jelly stuff and some brown came out 5 days ago i was opened 1cm im gettin induced on friday wat does being induced inbvolve im gettin induced cause midwifes worried about babys growth he stops growing for 2 weeks then starts and hes very small and i keep getting shooting pain inside my vagina does this mean im dialating and i keep gettin shooting pains around my pubic bone between my pubic bone and thigh can you help please

Answer
Ciara,

Let's answer your questions one at a time.  It does sound like it was your mucus plug, which is a good sign that your body is getting ready for labor.

Next, induction can be done in many ways.  To learn more about the various methods and reasons to induce, read http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/ways-to-induce-labor.html and http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/reasons-to-induce.html

Now, it can be difficult to determine if a baby has truly stopped growing while in utero, unless regular ultrasounds are performed.  If she is just measuring how high your belly is, then this is not a reliable way to determine that he's very small and stopped growing.

If however, your baby has been diagnosed with Intrauterine Growth Restriction, that can mean he's not growing as expected, which can happen for a variety of reasons, including poor diet, genetic problems, if the placenta deteriorates early, drug use and even for unknown reasons.

The shooting pain you describe is most likely ligament stretching as your belly gets lower and heavier.  It's normal for these round ligaments to ache or to feel sharp pains when this happens.  It's unlikely that you would feel yourself dilating.


I wish you well on your induction!
Catherine