How big is the epidural injection? Will it hurt? Is a "bloody show" (mucus tinged with blood) in the toilet a sign of labour?

The spinal needle is much smaller—the width of a thick piece of hair. But before this happens, the injection site is numbed with a local anesthetic, at which point you will feel a pinch and sting for about 10 seconds. You'll feel pressure, but not pain, when the epidural and/or spinal itself is given. Bloody show is a sign that the blood vessels in the cervix are rupturing as it effaces and dilates. The cervix undergoes significant changes during the third trimester of pregnancy. As labor approaches, two main changes occur: effacement, which occurs when the lining of the cervix becomes softer and thinner dilation, which occurs when the opening to the cervix widens