everyone that knows me swares im going to have this baby early.. i think they say that because im so tiny but my bellys so0 big.. i mean im 37 weeks now but going back as far as a month ago iv had people assume i was due any day.. but when i saw my fiances stepmom over the weekend she said that i still looked like i was carrying high and that i shouldnt be worried about going into labr at any minute like everyones been saying because before that happens i will notice my belly will drop.. now my frist reaction was im so huge how is it going to drop like how much further down can it go lol.. but she swares that it will be like dramatic and theres no way i wont know that ive dropped (she said that instead of my boobs being like on top of my belly there will be a big gap between the 2) and only after that happens i should be concerned about going into labor so that for now i shouldnt be on high alert yet lol .. so i guess my question is did this happen with all of you .. was it blatantly obviouse to all of u moms out there that the baby has dropped? or did labor sort of sneak up on you??
Oh, I noticed. My babies somersaulted hard enough to make me throw up and then engaged in my pelvis. With my eldest daughter, she did it hard enough to also pop my mucus plug at the same time.
"Dropping" or "lightening" simply refers to when the baby is not only head down, but stays head down and engages its head firmly in the pelvis and isn't floating freely in amniotic fluid any longer.
Nope, I didn't drop with either of mine. Or, if I did, I didnt' notice it. Well, that's not entirely true, mine bobbed up and down, some moments I could breathe a little easier and get a little bit more air than others, but that meant they were grabbing my bladder or my ovaries. They were mean little suckers, but I love them! So, maybe you will, maybe you won't...It could happen anytime, I know how anxious and ready for it to happen you are at that stage, but it really is easier to leave the little one in longer if possible. Good luck mama to be!
There is no science. With my first, I did drop before I had her, I was huge, and I did have her at 37 weeks. It really wasn't a surprise. I was dilated at the 36 week mark and the doctor told me I would be having her soon. With my son, I was huge, dropped early, was told from 20 weeks that I was huge and would have him early, was dilated at 35 weeks, and what do you know, I had to be induced after I went past the 40 week mark. With my last one, I was huge again, told over and over I would have her any day past 36 weeks, I never dilated, never dropped, and had to be induced after 40 weeks. So in my mind, dropping means nothing, being huge means nothing. Sometimes you know, and sometimes it sneaks up on you, and sometimes, you will do anything to make it happen and it just doesn't.
You may not have a noticeable drop.
My first baby didn't drop. My water broke at home at 39 wks. Went to the hospital and I was not dialted or effaced, and the baby had not started descending into my pelvis yet.
My water broke at home again the day I was 37 wks with the second baby, and I didn't feel him drop either-even though I was dilated 3 cm when I got to the hospital.
My third I definitely felt like I was carrying lower a few days before the real labor actually started, but I was having non-stop contractions for a month before he was born. That pregnancy was SO different from the others.
My point is, every pregnancy and labor is different. Even if you do "drop" you may remain pregnant for awhile yet. If you feel any trickling of fluid, or a gush, call the OB right away.
Best wishes!
You may or may not "drop" before labor. I didn't. I was also the biggest person I've ever seen with a singleton pregnancy; I got open-mouthed stares from strangers. And I went past my due date. Your body knows when you and the baby are ready for the world. Try to relax and enjoy these last few weeks ... believe me, it's easier to care for a baby inside than a newborn out side! ;)
I didn't notice the drop right away but my coworkers did. One of my maternity shirts was striped (medium sized stripes) and had about 4 buttons on the front. They said that after I dropped there were a couple more stripes between the bottom button and the stripe on top of my belly.
I'm a little person with long legs and a short torso. I carried straight out--people were telling me 6 months in that it looked like I was going to give birth any second. I've had two babies and neither one of them "dropped" because there wasn't anywhere for them to drop to--I had a head in my pelvis and a butt in my diaphragm :-) It really depends on your structure and how you carry. So no, you may not drop.
Congratulations on your upcoming motherhood!!!
J.
I never noticed that I dropped at all. I was BIG and carried high but all the way down. And I had to pee all the time anyway, so there was ALWAYS pressure on my bladder.
Your fiance's mom might be right about SOME people, but she's not right about ALL people. I'd ignore her, if I were you.
Dawn
I dropped with all four. The area between the boobs and baby was air. I could push it and feel emptiness, it was weird. I think that is the reason the i never pushed more than one or two pushes with each :)
I didnt really notice that I dropped. I think it's kind of gradual. I had a lot more pressure on my bladder tho when it did finally occur. I dont recall noticing any new space between my boobs and my stomach tho.
I recall not being able to see my feet. When I dropped, I could see my feet again. I also noticed that the weekend that this happened she was so active inside I thought she was going to come out before she settled down.
Also there is the old wive's tale about the moon and the magnetic pull about babies dropping -- kind of think there is something to it.
Soon your bundle will be here. Enjoy the "quiet and restful" time as long as you have it. Take a few extra naps and take it easy.
The other S.
PS You won't be this quiet and relaxed again for the next 19 years.
