As many women approach the end of their pregnancies they excitedly wait to meet their babies. In many cases the mother wonders if she will go into labor before or after her due date. There is no way to predict exactly what time the baby will come. Every woman's body is so different. But there are some factors that will contribute to the timing of labor. Here are 3 factors that will affect labor.

1. Loss Of Mucous Plug

Every woman has a mucous plug that sits in the cervix that acts like a plug to keep the cervix closed. This plug stays in until the cervix begins to soften and open as it prepares for labor. This means that when you loose your mucous plug, then you are close to delivering.

How close you ask? It is hard to say. Once again this is something that varies from each individual. Some women may go into labor within 48 hours after loosing their plugs; others may still have another week before they start labor. The good thing is understood is that once you do loose your plug it means that labor is getting closer.

2. The Baby Drops

During the majority of your pregnancy the baby will sit high in the abdomen. For instance, you might feel the baby in your ribs. As labor gets closer, the baby will begin to drop. No longer will you feel the baby up in your ribs, you will start to feel the baby sink into your hips, making it hard to walk or even sit.

The baby dropping is an important part of labor. If the baby doesn't drop, it might discourage your chances of having a normal vaginal birth. You want the baby to drop so that the pressure of their head is resting right on your cervix. This will help the cervix to ripen enough for labor.

3. Past Pregnancies

Just like every woman is different, every pregnancy will be different as well. However, most women have some sort of pattern when it comes to labor. If you usually go into labor late, you can probably assume that your next pregnancy will be similar. Obviously, there will be multiple factors, but as a general rule, you can use the last pregnancy as a gauge to when you might have the next baby.

These are just 3 factors that affect when labor will start. For more information, contact your physician, like at Desert Rose OBGYN PC.