Mucus Plug & Labor Signs at 40 Weeks Pregnant: What to Expect

Question
Hi. I am 40 weeks pregnant. My due date is Dec22. Yesterday I started seeing this snot looking thick discharge.Can this be my cervix effacing or is this my mucus plug coming out or is this just an ordinary discharge. I ask because this is my third child and I have never seen this with the last two.Also I am 5 centimeters.

Answer
As I mentioned before, any discharge at 40 weeks probably is the mucus plug being discharged from the cervix. It merely means that you may go into labor at any time. When you start having contractions every 6-8 minutes regularly, call your doctor. If you are already 5cm dilated, I would not wait too long after you start having regular contractions to go to the hospital.