When does the baby drop and how can you tell when it does?

My bump didn’t really drop and my baby was always engaged in fact I was at 2cm and still hadn’t had that drop (later went into labour after a cervical check). Unfortunately none of it is predictable and one persons signs before labour can just be another’s persons experience of pregnancy!xx

@Amy how can I tell when labor starts ? So ik the signs kinda if I have work that day

How far along are you now? I see you are in the US, is there a way for you to access your OB notes? Here in the UK most places have a website or app that tracks everything including babies head engagement. As you are a FTM it is likely baby will engage at least partially before labor. (Fully engaged is that dropping sensation) When I had my daughter last year she was 4/5ths engaged before my induction. So only the nape of her neck or chin depending on how she was positioned was palpable through my bump. She started to engage around 30 weeks and was born at 39+6. I am currently 36 weeks pregnant with my second and while he has started to engage 1/5 since 32 weeks I am not expecting much more engagement till right before labor as second time pregnancies and beyond are less likely to engage before labor. You can always do stretches or exercises to open up your pelvic levels and encourage engagement and optimum positioning just don’t do miles circuit till 37weeks as it can bring on labor🥰

My baby dropped at about 37 weeks, I suddenly felt more space around my ribs and like I could breathe a bit better 😅 also felt so much heavier in my pelvis and had a lot of hip pain, however, he never fully engaged, despite dropping. I was induced at 41 weeks and when they examined me prior to inducing he was very low down but his head wasn’t very well engaged. In my experience at least, them dropping didn’t suggest labour was coming!

@Shannon 35 + 6 and I don't think so I'll look in my app with the office and see if there is any

@Georgia I keep getting told he'll be born earlier, I'm refusing to expect that since I'm not haven't many Braxton hicks currently I'll have 1 ever now and then if that maybe once a week or other week I honestly think his to comfortable to come early

@Rhiannon it depends lovely. I can only go by my experience. I had no, symptoms really. Maybe more mucus plug in that week. I had braxton hicks later on in my pregnancy. The day I went into labour I had a cervical check as the plan was for me to be induced due to potential placenta issues. After that within the hour I was having contractions which felt like period pains but progressively got much worse. My waters never broke despite being at 10cm. My friend had a different experience her waters broke then followed by contractions. You willl 100% know when you’re having contractions this was my worry! But when it’s happening you certainly know! You aren’t in ‘labour’ until you reach 7cm I think it is (in the uk) and you wouldn’t know how far along you are unless you were checked. Some people get the urge to push but I never did I had to be guided to do so. If I was at home I would’ve gone into hospital because of the pain. You should download a contraction app where you time how

Frequent and how long they are xx

@Amy I will look in to an app for that but I'm scared of going to work then going in to labor and getting told that I'm over recating ( I heard stories of that happening ) since all the leads are male there is no female 90% of the time I work since my days line up with her off

I’ve heard that if you can breathe again baby’s down

@Rhiannon stuff them! Your baby, your body, you know best!!!! Xx

I don't remember when my first dropped, but I had no idea it had happened until my doctor told me. I went in for my appointment and she was like "well he definitely dropped" and I was surprised.

@Rhiannon there will not always be signs of labour unfortunately! For me, I had a very normal day, no symptoms at all and then woke up at 1am with contractions, happening every 3 minutes consistently. Baby was born 8 hours later lol

@Amy I just want to be home with fiance when it happens so I'm not at work cuase I been told by a few ladies at work who have had kids he'll come early , and I don't think he will but my mom's sister and my mom's friend both told me that my mom had a fast labor and delivery with all 3 of us and I'm a bit worried it will be similar way with me and I won't have time to get my fiance to take me hospital or be there with me for the birth

@Alicia I'm just worried labor and delivery will be quick like what my mom had with all 3 of us and I don't want to be away from fiance just incase so I don't have to call him alot or have him find a ride to my work to get me since we share a car atm due to his being down with a broken axle

@Rhiannon everything will work out!❤️

@Amy I hope so