How do you know when baby has "dropped"?

[Winter]

It feels like I can breathe a bit easier and there is a tincy,tiny bit more space between my boobs and my tummy...but I'm not sure if this means bub has "dropped"...

How did you know when your baby had dropped?

I'm 36 weeks tomorrow - does is happen around now?

[Nelle]

Yeah for me, it was being able to breathe again, and not getting booted so hard in the ribs anymore. Your belly will look a bit lower too.

36 weeks sounds normal. My first I think dropped somewhere in the 30's, and my second was engaged from about 20 weeks, and for some people it doesn't happen until right at the very end!

[Kazbah]

And they're dropping when it feels like you have a watermelon in your pelvis

[Winter]

Nelle, did your belly look noticibly lower?

I'm looking at mine & would say an inch at the most, unless I'm making it up!!

[Je$$_84]

with DS being my 1st i didnt notice until someone mentioned that my bump looked lower and i suddenly realised wow i though i could breathe a bit better

2nd i woke up and could just feel this pressure in my pelvis.

[Inertia]

Truth be told, the best, most infallible way to find out is to go see your health care provider and they can have a feel of your lower abdomen and tell you if the head is engaged.

[Kazmar]

Some babies dont drop till the last minute!
Annabelle dropped on my due date! Then I went into labour that day!

[myson]

yep easier to breathe but now waddling like a duck!

but at 30 weeks i thought it was too early for this to happen to me... i was expecting it to happen at around 36 weeks.

does it happen earlier when youve had more babies?

[Nelle]

Winter, I'm mostly reflecting upon my first bub here (because #2 engaged so early, so wasn't big before I noticed a difference), but I think I noticed a slight difference. Bub can engage bit by bit, and they can rise up and down, although at 36 weeks, I'd say bub will just nestle down further and further bit by bit.

I think I noticed a difference because bub was posterior, so bum sticking out, which made a drop more noticable to me. I'd say how obvious it is will depend on how bub drops and how bub is positioned.

But yay! Any dropping is progress!

[Tobily]

That sounds about right. First babies can engage quite early and around 36 weeks is not unusual.

Breathing easier (often combined with needing to pee a bit more because baby is putting more pressure on your bladder) is usually a sign. Some women don't notice anything at all though - I was one of them, when my DD engaged my hubby noticed it first. He kept saying for days that she had dropped but I didn't feel any different...probably because I'd been peeing every 5 minutes all through the pregnancy anyway People at work were also saying she'd moved. Often it's the people who see you every day who notice it first.

[Cassius2]

my DD (being my first) was locked and loaded during the 34th week. i knew she had engaged because i had to take care when sitting down at my office desk otherwise i would get her banging her head right down on my poor cervix (oweee! lol!). also i started to walk a bit strange as i felt like i had a big balloon btwn my legs LOL!

i think i remember my ob telling me at the time that first time mums tend to have bubs that engage earlier....

[mummy of many]

You know when bub has dropped because.....

You can breath easier
You run to the tiolet more
You definatley can`t see your feet,& it feels like your tummy is resting on your knee`s!
and that funny feeling like your bub is going to fall out of your Va gee gee,lol, when you get up to walk.
But your back pain can get worse if you suffer a lower bad back,but it`s funny how most of us go back & do it all over again.

[Inertia]

... but it`s funny how most of us go back & do it all over again.

Thats because you dont remember a thing until you are pregnant again - then the memories come flooding back and you sit there thinking "Oh man, what have I done!?!?!?!?!"

I will definitely agree with needing to weewee more. You have one drink and you are back to the throne! Its maddening!