Baby not dropping yet

D day is on schedule, but my baby hasn’t dropped yet.

According to What to Expect When You Are Expecting , “Dropping”, also called “lightening”, occurs when the fetus descends into the pelvic cavity. Lightening is the sign that the presenting part, usually the head, is engaged in the upper portion of the bony pelvis. In the first pregnancy, this lightening generally takes place two to four weeks before delivery. In women who have had children previously, it rarely occurs until they go into labor. But as with almost every aspects of pregnancy, exceptions to the rules are the rule.

I don’t feel any pressure on the pelvic or the bladder, or the pelvic joints. My belly is still pretty high, though my appetite is pretty good and I go to bathroom pretty frequently because I drink a lot of fluids everyday. And Monday’s doctor appointment confirmed that my baby is still “floating” free.

I really don’t want to end up with a C-section. So how can I help my baby to drop?

As usual, the first thing I did was to go to Yahoo Answers and posted my question there. I also looked for similar questions asked by members before.

The answers were varied.

Some mother suggested trying a few simple yoga poses. On all fours with hands under shoulders, inhale and tilt the pelvis under, rounding the back into an arc, exhale and arch the back. Keep the neck and shoulders relaxed. She also suggested trying pelvic tilts. Stand with feet wide apart. Bend knees slightly and roll you butt under and then back. Do this back and forth rocking motion.

Some mother thought lying on the left side with a pillow between knees when sleeping. She said this helps relaxing more, puts the baby away from the inferior vena cava, and takes the stress of muscles and ligaments.

One mother’s answer was to try rubbing the belly from the top down apply slight pressure. While another mother warned that there was nothing that you can do. Only nature will do it for you.

One mother said that her first 2 dropped about 10 minutes after she started pushing once she was completely dilated and effaced. She said she wouldn’t try pushing on or messing with anything as it could cause problems with the placenta.

Several women mentioned lots of walking would help the baby drop. This was so far the most common answer.

I probably will try some of their suggestions to see whether they will help. Dear readers, if you have any idea to help baby drop, please leave your comments here.

Tags: , , | categories From Mommy, Late-Pregnancy | mommy | datetime June 2, 2008 10:30 am | comments Comments (0)

Leave a Comment