How far can you dilate without losing mucus plug?

jkjohnsonwedding

I keep reading posts about losing mucus plugs. I'm already "easily stretched to 5cm" and 50% effaced. How far dilated can you get without losing it? Does it even matter if you lose it? It seems that regardless of how far effaced, dilated and when you lost your mucus plus it's no indication of when you will be having your LO. =/

joy101406

with my first, i lost my mucus plug over the course of a few days and i was dilated about 1 cm.  and just for reference, i started losing my plug at 38 weeks and baby didn't come until 40+2 days.  

ChristinaBargholz

As of Friday I was 50% effaced. Saturday I lost all of my mucus plug. I was told it was because DH and I had sex and it "loosened it". I've read an internal exam or sex can make you lose it. With my first I don't even remember hearing/seeing anything about a mucus plug. And you're right, there is no good "indicator" of when you're going to have your LO until you're in labor.   

jkjohnsonwedding

I think that is the frustrating part. There seems to be no sure signs that labor is around the corner. I've been nesting for the past few months and something as simple as a loose bowel movement isn't going to make me think LO is coming. Some people even think measuring big means they will arrive soon.... nope!! A post on another board had a woman give birth at 42 weeks to an 11lb baby... yikes..

Fergie+1

With DS1 I lost mine at 4 cm, and as of now I've been noticing bits of MP since last week when I was 2.5.

ETA: I also had my membranes stripped at my 39week appointment last time, and lost my MP a few days after that. So my MP may or may not have come out on it's own.