Figure 11.5 Press firmly with your fingers just above the pubic bone to see if you can feel the baby's head. 3 If the shape is not clearly round, it may be the baby's face or the baby's bottom that you can feel. Or sometimes the baby's bottom is up, but the head is not straight down (Figure 11.6a and b).
Locate Your Baby's Head
Relax and breathe deeply and slowly to feel more movements. Using your fingertips, apply gentle pressure to the upper part of your pelvis/pubic bone. If you feel something round and hard, it's likely the head. If what you feel is rounded but softer, it's probably your baby's bottom.
Can you feel when a baby's head engages? Some expecting mothers may feel the baby dropping into the pelvis while others may not. Since the baby shifts, it frees up the space in the abdomen. This is called 'lightening' and the mother feels 'lighter'.
You may also be able to feel a hard, rounded lump under your ribs, which doesn't move very much. This is your baby's head, and it may, unfortunately, be quite uncomfortable for you (Jackson et al 2020).
If your baby's head has 'engaged' (entered the pelvic cavity), you might be feeling more pressure lower down in your pelvis. You might even feel baby's head putting pressure on your cervix, which can be quite uncomfortable.
Baby dropping may feel like a sudden, noticeable movement for some women, while others may not feel it happening. Baby dropping, or lightening, may make it easier to breathe and increase appetite. This is because there is more space in the abdomen and less pressure on organs.
They can feel pain at 22 weeks, and at 26 weeks they can move in response to a hand being rubbed on the mother's belly.
In first time mothers it usually means labour is 2-4 weeks away. For women who've already had children, the baby may not 'drop' until labour begins. It can even vary for the same woman with different pregnancies too.
Your baby's bum will feel squashier than their head, which will be firm and round. If your baby is lying back-to-back (OP position), your bump might feel squashy and you may feel (and see) kicks in the middle of your belly. Another sign of the OP position is a dip around your belly button instead of it poking out.
Positions in the womb
Left occiput anterior: The head is down, the fetus is facing the pregnant person's back, and they are in the left side of the womb. Right occiput anterior: The position is the same as that above, but the fetus is in the womb's right side.
In the physical exam, doctors check your stomach, pelvis, and abdomen to feel for your baby's head compared to your pelvic bone. In general, if they feel the curve of your baby's head above your pelvis, then your baby hasn't finished dropping yet.
For some moms-to-be, constantly touching, patting, rubbing and holding their belly can be soothing. For others, it's a way to feel close to the baby inside. But no matter the reason, rubbing your belly simply makes you feel good.
However, massage of the tummy or breasts can cause contractions of the womb. If you notice strong contractions, stop that part of the massage. You may find that you are more sensitive to smells than usual.
Depending on your stage of pregnancy, your body type, and even the time of day, sometimes your belly will feel soft and other times it will feel tight and hard. The reality is, there's no normal to compare yourself with. Pregnant bellies come in all shapes, sizes, and firmness.
In first-time mothers, dropping usually occurs 2 to 4 weeks before delivery, but it can happen earlier. In women who have already had children, the baby may not drop until labor begins. You may or may not notice a change in the shape of your abdomen after dropping.
Symptoms not to ignore when you're 36 weeks pregnant
You have a persistent headache or visual disturbance. If your feet/ankles/hands or face are unusually swollen. You experience vaginal bleeding. You have an unusual coloured discharge.
The word "drop" is kind of misleading: It suggests a sudden downward movement, but in fact a baby dropping typically is a gradual process. It's unlikely you'll feel your baby drop, but you will notice any or all of various signs that it has happened.
Background. Many physicians advise pregnant women to sleep on their left side. Previous studies have linked back and right-side sleeping with a higher risk of stillbirth, reduced fetal growth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure disorder that affects the mother.
As your baby's birthday gets close, your cervix begins to dilate, or open up. Dilation is checked during a pelvic exam. Typically, if you're four centimeters dilated, you're in the active stage of labor. If you're fully dilated, you're ready to start pushing.
As you near your due date and your baby's head drops (or engages), you might feel symptoms ease, or feel a heaviness in your pelvis. Some women notice pressure on the bladder as the head moves down and engages. The belly might feel sore and they might feel aching in the uterus and the spine.
The baby typically starts pushing stage at “0 station” (midpelvis). The baby moves lower than 0 station when pushing iss effective (+1, +2, +3 where baby becomes visible between contractions and +4 when crowning).