When people say that a baby has dropped, what they mean is that the baby has descended deeper into the pelvis.
This is usually referred to as “the baby is engaged”.
In fact, doctors and midwives usually make use of a 3- or 5-point scale to describe, how deep the baby is engaged in the pelvis.
In this article, briefly explain how the 5-point scale works.
Moreover, they explain 2 kinds of typical baby dropping symptoms.
First of all, they talk about baby dropping symptoms that can be “observed”.
In fact, in most cases, we can see a notable difference once the baby has dropped.
Moreover, they talk about baby dropping symptoms that a woman may “feel and experience” and which she hasn’t felt or experienced before.
Finally, they explain what you should do if you indeed believe that your baby has dropped.
9 Baby Dropping Symptoms - What does it FEEL and LOOK like when baby drops?
Hello mommy! In this article, we are going to discuss nine baby dropping symptoms to help you understand what it looks and feels like when your baby drops.
Plus, we are also gonna tell you when you can expect it to happen and what you should do, if you indeed believe that your baby has dropped.
A pregnancy and birth consultant and tcm therapist and a researcher and science geek, and we love helping mommies and their babies naturally and science-based.
Okay, so, first of all, when we say that a baby has dropped, we mean that the baby has engaged in the pelvis.
It is one of several signs that labor is near.
In fact, it usually happens between 2 to 4 weeks, but most probably 2 weeks before delivery.
However, it can also happen only just hours before delivery.
But this most likely applies to women who have given birth to a child in the past already.
With that said, doctors and midwives usually make use of a 5-point scale to describe how deep the baby is engaged in the pelvis.
And they would do a vaginal exam in order to assess where on the scale you are at, at the moment.
Some may also use a 3-point scale, but it doesn’t really matter because they basically describe the exact same thing, right? So, for example, if your doctor tells you that you are at level -5 then your baby is not engaged at all.
On the other hand, when you are at level 5, they most probably won’t tell you “you are at level 5!”.
Instead, they are more likely gonna say something like: “i can see the baby”! I guess, you know what i mean, right? However, if you are at level 0, this is usually referred to as being fully engaged or as others would say: the baby has dropped.
But of course, there are levels in between which indicate that the baby is in the process of engaging.
Right! And depending on how deep your baby is engaged in your pelvis, you are going to see and feel the baby dropping symptoms that we are going to discuss in just a second, either in a more attenuated way or in a more distinct way.
So, please keep that in mind! What you should also keep in mind is that the process of your baby dropping and engaging in your pelvis is indeed a process.
Don’t expect that you are, i don’t know, going for a walk and then suddenly your baby is dropping.
It can happen fast, don’t get me wrong.
However, it will most probably only happen fast if you have given birth to a child in the past already.
And that’s because the pelvis of such women needs less time to prepare and adjust.
Also, the pelvic muscles are already stretched from the previous birth.
Right! With that said, let us walk you through the list of baby dropping symptoms to help you understand how it feels and looks like when your baby is dropping.
Right, our first baby dropping symptom is a visible change in the position of your belly.
I often to refer to it as the “football belly” because many women indeed look like they are hiding a football under their shirt once their baby has dropped.
So, what you are most likely going to observe is that your belly is kind of hanging lower than it did before.
When this visible change has happened, we say that the baby has dropped.
But: please keep in mind that not every woman will see a notable difference.
Some women in general carry their babies lower throughout their pregnancy, you know, compared to other women.
So, they might not see much of a difference after their baby has dropped.
Moreover, and this is our second baby dropping symptom, when your baby drops, you are most likely going to find it much easier to breathe because there is less pressure on your diaphragm.
In fact, many women describe it as a downright relief in terms of breathing.
They are able to take deeper breaths.
They feel more room in the upper part of their abdomen.
And that’s obviously because the baby is now lower compared to where baby was before.
On the other hand, there will also be less pressure on your stomach.
As a result, many women report that they suddenly have more appetite which is our third baby dropping symptom.
You would also find it easier to eat a full meal.
Plus, those nasty side effects like heartburn and indigestion will most likely not bother you that much anymore.
Yeah, so you might even be able to eat an entire pizza again, without feeling stuffed after the first slice.
Yeah, that's true! Amazing! Amazing! However, with great relief also comes more discomfort.
I mean, let’s be honest, otherwise, a pregnancy wouldn’t be fun, right? That’s right! So first of all, most likely you are going to feel more pelvic pain which is our next baby dropping symptom on our list.
Why is that? Well, obviously, as your baby descends deeper into your pelvis, baby will also put more pressure on it.
This pressure will almost certainly cause more pain in the pelvic area.
And, very often, women describe that pain as sharp or shooting pain.
That’s because there a are lots of ligaments in your pelvis.
And as your baby moves into the right position, your baby may put pressure on those ligaments.
Right! By the way, you might feel those, well, “flashes of pain” if you will, not only in your pelvis, but also in your vagina or in the area of your rectum.
Again, all those problems are caused because the baby puts more pressure on your pelvis.
Yes! And more pressure on the lower area of your pelvis could also cause hemorrhoids.
This is our fifth baby dropping symptom.
Well, actually, hemorrhoids could be a problem throughout your pregnancy.
However, they are more likely to be a problem once your baby has dropped.
Right! And with the additional pressure on your pelvis, you may also find it more difficult to walk which is our sixth baby dropping symptom.
In fact, it’s not only the additional pressure.
The center of gravity has shifted so that you are almost certainly going to feel your baby’s weight in a different way than before.
Therefore, it may not be so easy to keep your balance anymore.
That was when it hit me personally, by the way.
Suddenly, nathalie was waddling around like a penguin.
And i was like “wait a minute.
Something’s changed.
” and what it was was, our son had dropped.
Oh, sorry! Didn't mean it that way.
However, we are very committed to deliver high quality information.
And we promise to work on our accent! Thanks so much! Okay, the next baby dropping symptom on our list is back pain! If you haven’t felt back pain up to this point, chances are that you are going to feel it now, because the center of gravity has shifted.
It also comes from the different posture that you suddenly assume to kind of balance out the weight of your baby, which now feels lower than before.
Plus, it also comes from the additional pressure on your lower back.
By the way, something that really helps with back pain are exercises on a birthing ball.
You can also find it in the description below this article.
Actually, that article is about labor induction.
However, exercises 3, 4 and 6 are great exercises to relieve some of the tensions that you feel in your back and to help you with back pain in general.
Right! The next baby dropping symptom is an increased need to urinate.
When the baby puts more pressure on your pelvis, you are going to feel more pressure on your bladder.
As a result, you are going to feel the need to urinate more often.
When nathalie was that far, i was close to installing a toilet in our living room.
It would have made things so much easier for her.
Even our son was so tired of the many trips to the toilet that he decided to come early.
Yeah, he is a really good boy in comparison to you! Well! Anyways! Our final baby dropping symptom is “mucus plug discharge”.
So, what happens is that since the baby has descended deeper into your pelvis, your baby will put more pressure on your cervix.
This will cause the cervix to thin out and get ready for labor.
And part of that whole labor preparation process is that you will lose the so-called mucus plug.
It is a thick jelly-like and bloody discharge.
Up until now, the purpose of the mucus plug was to block the cervix so that no bacteria can enter the uterus.
But now that your body is preparing for labor, it is no longer needed.
Therefore, your body gets rid of it which usually happens once your baby has dropped.
Remember, every woman is different.
And so, every woman will feel and observe the baby dropping symptoms that we just discussed in a different way.
If you believe that your baby has dropped, we recommend that you speak to your healthcare provider! First and foremost, you want to make sure that your baby is well and in the right position.
Moreover, now that your baby has dropped, they can give you a better estimate of the expected delivery date.
Finally, if you observe any signs that your baby is dropping earlier than some 4 weeks before your planned due date, you should definitely talk to a doctor.
And that’s particularly the case if your baby drops before 30 weeks of your pregnancy.
Because this may be a sign of a preterm birth.
So, if you see any signs that your baby drops before week 30, please do not hesitate.
Go and see a doctor straight away! Right!
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