Dropping

Where labor is concerned, I have gone from terrified, to complacent, to excited. Right now, I can hardly wait!  I wanna hold my baby!!! And she is getting ready too. I'm 90% certain that she has dropped. At first, I really wasn't sure. Several people mentioned that I seemed to be carrying lower. What was, before, a slight pressure in my pelvis, became a BIG pressure in my pelvis, which hurts all the way down into my thighs. I was honestly hoping that I hadn't dropped, because I was afraid that meant that labor was imminent, and I don't want her to be premature.

So, I did what I always do, and researched it. I googled "baby dropped at 34 weeks", and what I found was a lot of pregnancy messaging boards, where women with their first pregnancy were saying they were 34 weeks (some even less) and had dropped. In every thread I looked at, more experienced mothers were commenting on these posts telling the girls not to worry, and that it was normal. One woman said that with her first pregnancy, she dropped around 30 weeks, and still delivered around her due date. What I learned from reading those is that dropping is not really any indication of when labor will start. It normally happens much earlier with first pregnancies than with later ones, but even that is not always the case. And some babies will drop, then go back up, repeatedly. So, I'm not too worried about it anymore.

The more I've payed attention to my body, the more I'm convinced that she must have dropped. There are several signals that I wouldn't have put together before reading all those message boards. For one thing, a few days ago, I got my first hemroid. Ouch! This is, as I read, a sign of lots of pressure in that area. Also, I keep getting quick, stinging pains in my bladder. I originally thought that meant I had a bladder infection, and was going to bring it up at my next appointment, but when I read the boards, almost every girl sighted that same symptom. I'm still going to mention it to my nurse, but they're going to test my urine anyway. The feeling of pressure in my pelvis has also been strengthening and spreading. Originally, I figured it was just because my body isn't used to all this weight, and hormones are making all my joints relax. That may well have something to do with it. But I read that when the baby drops, it creates a lot of pressure down there, and can be extremely uncomfortable, which it is getting to be. I currently have a constant ache that spreads across my pelvis, and into my thighs, and hurts especially right at the crease of my legs. Another symptom I wouldn't have paid much attention to is back pain. I've had back pain from very early in my pregnancy, but within the last few days, it's gotten worse. I again, assumed that was due to added weight that my body isn't used to. But I read that when the baby drops, it can increase the pressure on the lower back. At first, I couldn't tell much difference with my breathing. I still felt as out of breath as ever. But, over the past 48 hours, I have slowly begun to notice that I CAN, in fact, take a fuller breath. I've also noticed, just today, that when Lexi kicks, it feels a tad bit lower than it was before. She isn't getting into my ribs like she was before. The only symptom I haven't gotten that is related to dropping is a decrease in heart burn....go figure, one of the pleasant symptoms, and I'm not getting it. If anything, my heartburn is getting worse. But, I saw some people say that their heartburn got worse after the baby dropped. I'm not sure why that is, as you would think it is decreasing the pressure up there, but oh well.

Although, on one hand, it makes me slightly nervous that she might already have dropped, on the other hand, I'm super excited. I've likened it to a race. She is now positioned at the starting line, and is waiting to start her engine. I guess I'll say her engine has started whenever I lose my mucus plug (lovely term). I kind of can't believe I am this close to the end of my pregnancy. It seems to have flown by so quickly! But I can't wait to meet my little girl. Now if I could just get the room in a decent state to welcome her home! ACK!!!