Topic Overview At the end of the third trimester, the baby settles, or drops lower, into the mother's pelvis. Station During the last month, your doctor will estimate how far the baby's head has moved down into engaged the pelvis.
Related Information Labor and Delivery. Credits Current as of: October 8, Top of the page Next Section: Related Information. Previous Section: Related Information Top of the page. Current as of: October 8, How to push during labor: Should your body be your guide? Signs of labor. Lightning crotch: Jolts to the pelvis during pregnancy. Braxton Hicks contractions.
Losing your mucus plug. Cervical dilation and effacement. Membrane stripping: How it's done and what it's like. New to BabyCenter? Join now. Password Forgot your password? Keep me logged in. But for some women, it happens only a few hours before labor starts. Every pregnancy is different. And some never really feel their baby drop until labor officially begins. Picture a vertical scale with zero in the middle. This is when your baby is firmly engaged into your midpelvis.
Generally, the baby will move lower and lower as labor progresses. This is why I was so uncomfortable. But by my next checkup, she was back floating merrily away in a Babies can be tricky like that.
Learn more about the fetal station. Generally, women in their first pregnancy will notice their baby has dropped about two weeks before they deliver.
Here are five signs you may notice. When a baby drops, they physically drop into your pelvis. This is probably the same feeling as walking around with what feels like a bowling ball between your legs. Once your baby has dropped, their head will be physically pressing down more on your cervix. These little doozies, if they're the real thing, are the most reliable of all the signs and officially mark the onset of labor.
A contraction occurs when your uterus tightens and then relaxes. Real contractions usually start in the back of your body and move toward the front. These movements open the cervix and help push the baby into the birth canal. True contractions come closer and closer together in a predictable pattern and last around 30 to 70 seconds each. They get steadily stronger and keep coming, regardless of what you do.
You and your health practitioner should come up with a game plan ahead of time about when you should call and what you should do if you suspect you're in labor. Most practitioners will probably tell you to call when you have contractions that last for around one minute and occur every five minutes for about an hour, but this could vary greatly depending on your health history and past pregnancy record. Women who have given birth before may have a quicker labor the second or third time around, so it's important not to wait too long to call if you think things might go quickly.
Be sure to discuss this with your doctor or midwife. To time the frequency of contractions, start at the beginning of one and count until the beginning of the next one. When in doubt, call your practitioner. Even if you're not sure if your signs add up to the beginning of labor, it doesn't hurt to check in. Your doctor or midwife can give you concrete advice and help you determine if this is the moment you've been waiting for. American Pregnancy Association.
Signs of Labor, Mayo Clinic. Signs of Labor: Know what to expect. May 14, Whitsett, J.
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