Baby Won't Drop

I just gave birth to my first child this May. I carried high the whole pregnancy. My son was two weeks early and I was still relatively high. It was kind of nice becuase I was able to go for walks without difficulty up until the day I gave birth. My doctors were not ever concerned about how high the baby was. Good luck!

You 've got at least 2 more weeks to go. Your body can change a lot in that time! Dont be concerned unless your Doctor is concerned. Good luck to you! The best is yet to come!

Don't worry !!!!!!!!!!!!! It is very very very normal for the baby not to have dropped yet, especially for your first pregnancy. The baby may not drop until the day of and that is okay. Do not start thinking about a C-section yet. They are talked up as so normal and routine but that is MAJOR abdominal surgery that doctors are eager to do so that they can move on with their lives. Do NOT let yourself be rushed. This first baby will take the longest to get out - that doesn't mean anything is wrong with you. Also, know that the more interventions you get like doc breaking you water etc. increases your risk for a C-section. The only scenarios I would consider a C-section would be breach baby (which yours is not), hours of decreased baby heart rate or if someone is going to die. Not if labor or the whole process is "taking to long"

N. sounds like all is fine girlie dont worry as long as the baby is in position all sounds pretty good the baby can drop just like that so dont worry about a c section unless there is complications sounds like all is fine though u can wake up tommorrow and the little one can be dropped so dnt worry all is fine :) D.

Did u drop yet? Did you have the baby? Let me know...

HI!!! FIRST, CONGRATS ON ALL OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT ARE SOON TO COME. MY DAUGHTER DIDN'T "DROP" AT ALL UNTIL I WAS ACTUALLY IN LABOR. I WAS UNSURE IF HER NOT DROPPING MEANT THAT SHE WASN'T READY TO COME OUT, BUT AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, MY WATER BROKE AND 2 1/2 HOURS LATER, SHE WAS BORN!!! I WAS VERY LUCKY! BUT ANYWAY, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE DROPPING, SOME BABIES DROP WEEKS BEFOREHAND AND SOME, LIKE MY DAUGHTER, HOLD OFF AS LONG AS THEY CAN! BEST OF LUCK WITH EVERYTHING!!!

Hi N.,

I am a labor doula on Long Island and have a few "tricks" for getting baby to drop. They may seem silly, but they've been proven to work by some VERY experienced ladies :)

You can try the "incline" (elevate your legs WAY up, maybe even use an ironing board) for a good 10 minutes at a time, go on your hands and knees, sit on the yoga/birth ball a lot, sitting leaning forward, yoga, maybe even check with the chiroprator for an adjustment. Take a look at www.spinningbabies.com

Ice packs (or bags of frozen veggies, etc.) on your belly where the baby is may annoy him or her into moving away.

Swimming, mostly doing handstands in the pool, is a great way to turn babies that are breech or head up. It is fairly easy to do and can be relaxing too since you're weightless in
water. You can do a handstand for a count of 5 and repeat it 5-6 times. Do this for 4-5 days. It is great for babies have settled in the pelvis in the not head down position. The handstand actually floats the baby to the top of the uterus giving the baby room to turn on it's own.

It's possible that the baby may have a hand or arm next to his/her face that makes it complicated for it to turn or appear to be too large when the head could actually be small.

Whatever the case, keep in mind that you CAN birth your baby. There is NO good reason not to try, unless you are told MEDICALLY otherwise. "Too big," "not dropped," "overdue" - those are not good medical excuses. Give the baby time to do it's thing. Maybe the above will move it along a bit. Don't let the doctors bully you. This is YOUR baby and YOUR birth!

Be positive, and good luck.

Hey N.,
I would not worry to much if I were you. As long as the docs say that u are doing well as well as the baby you still have time. So try not to worry to much you are only adding stress to yourself that you don't need. I have had two kids already both being very different births and trust me u have nothing to worry about this soon. Sincerely, I. Congratulations and Best of luck.

My 2 boys never dropped until the day I gave birth in fact they were very high up. So keep your fingers crossed. It doesn't mean c-section unless he doesn't drop during the labor process. Sometimes a baby drops a couple weeks before birth and sometimes they drop during labor. I had my son 5 wks ago and he didn't drop until I went into labor so no fear just relax and enjoy pregnancy I know that may seem really hard right now but just think about what you will have in the end. Good luck and keep us posted.

My boys never dropped until I was in labor. You have plenty of time. Keep active, sit a birth ball, use the hands and knees position. The baby being high before labor even starts is not a medical reason to consider a c-section. Most babies can and will be born naturally if they are given enough time.

I wish I had some advice but my son sat so low he used my bladder for a pillow the whole 9 mons. But just because the baby is high doesn't mean you'll have a c-section. There is no way of knowing how labor will progress until your there. He may drop all of a sudden and ker-plop right out. You never know. Just get lots of sleep now, cuz once the baby is here, it's going to be a long time before you sleep well again.

You still have time, especially since most first-timers tend to deliver late rather than early. My daughter was two days overdue, and I dropped at the very last minute. It's hard not to compare your pregnancy to others, but the fact that they are all so different is definitely something to keep in mind.

I think as long as the baby is head-down, you're good to go! Just that bag packed and by the door - GOOD LUCK!

Being high isn't a big deal. When your body is ready, he will drop.

Don't worry, sometimes the baby doesn't drop until you're actually in labor, sometimes they don't get into a head down position until your in labor. Don't worry about a c-section. Sounds like you're were you should be. Remember every pregnancy & delivery is different, good luck.

Don't panic yet. My second and third waited until the last week or so to turn. I thought for sure they'd both be c-sections, too. And, if for some reason your baby DOESN'T turn in time and you DO have to have a section, I'm sure it'll be somewhat of a letdown, but as soon as you hold that sweet baby in your arms, you won't care at all!

Good luck!!
C.

No worries! My son was all over the place before he was born and everything turned out just fine. Up and down...I couldn't figure out what he was thinking. When I went into labor, it took him a while, but he finally got down far enough that they wanted me to start pushing...then he went back up! They made me push anyways and it took and hour and a half before he was back where he had been. If you have a similar issue...tell them you aren't pushing until the baby moves back down! Unless you really feel like pushing, but unless the baby is pushing on you, you probably won't feel like pushing. Once he was back where he had been, it only took 30 min to push him out. I have asthma and ended up needing oxygen because I was so exhausted from pushing for so long.

Babies move up and down, and as long as he is head down, you are in good shape for everything to go well.

Good luck!

The baby can still move down into the birth canal during labor and pushing. As long as the baby is head down you should be good to go. :)

Oh, and my first - my 22 month old girl - never dropped until I was in labor for a few days.
My second doesn't really "count", as he was transverse (laying across) and had the cord looped around him twice, so I had a c-section.

I asked my mother, as I had the same issue...my son never dropped(mom has 4 kids, and taught lamaze for 20 yrs, so I trust her opinion). She told me some women don't drop until they are actually in labor, others drop weeks before(as was the case with my older sister). In my situation, my son was frank breech until he was 36 wks, then decided to flip, but never dropped. I was in labor for 17 hrs, and ended up having a c section. During the procedure, they discovered he was sunny side up(face up), which is why I wasn't able to deliver vaginally(he was also almost 9lbs, so that had something to do with it also). Keep your chin up, all will be well. Even though my labor was a little long, I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Good luck! S.

Nope, it's not a problem. A full term pregnancy is anywhere between 38 and 42 weeks, so you still have plenty of time for the baby to drop aka engage. Even if he hasn't engaged and you're in your 40th+ week, that does NOT mean you're at a higher risk for a C-section. He may not drop until you actually go into labor. If you labor for a while and THEN he doesn't engage and start to go down the birth canal, you might have to consider a c-section. Just give it time. You can try to coax him by "spinning" him which is sort of tricking him into moving into position.

*Get on your hands and knees on the floor and raise your tush in the air as high as you can, and put your elbows on the floor. Stay like that for 10-15 minutes at a time a few times a day. It can trick him into trying to go "right side up."

*Get a small radio and hold it down near your pelvis. The sound may coax him to turn head down and come see what the noise is all about. You can do this with a really really bright flash light too. Oh, and you can try using a loud recording of a fetal heartbeat. Any of those things may make him curious and investigate, and very often, when it works, the baby will stay in that position. Do it regularly if you can.

Try this web site: http://www.spinningbabies.com

N., Do not worry AT ALL! Some babies do not drop until the day they are born. As long as you or the baby are not in distress (poor vital signs) everything will be fine for both of you -- and being positioned high until the end does not put you at risk for needing major surgery (C-section). When the time is right your baby will do what he/she has to, and as long as you have a knowledgable midwife/doctor/doula with you, they will lead you in the right direction. My baby was presenting "military style" or forehead first instead oif tucked chin, which would have normally meant automatic surgery to deliver her at my hospital, but my wonderful midwife recognized what was happening and knew what it would take to "fix" it. My midwife told me to "take the stairs" . . . literally walk and up and down and go through contractions with my feet on different stairs on the staircase at the birthcenter. Lo-and-behold my little girl tucked her head and our delivery was intense, smooth and uncomplicated, but the situation started out NOT "text-book." Keep relaxed and take regular walks(every evening from now on for about an hour -- no matter how slow you go) around your neighborhood (or building). Close to the end of your pregnancy excercise is necessary and on the day of your baby's birth changing positions is mandatory. Simple note: FIND A STAIRCASE and make it your best friend -- doing contractions there is amazing! I am doing it next time around too. All my best to you and your family!