Labor without having "dropped"

ampeters1 · August 2014

At 36 weeks I was 1cm dilated and 10% effaced. 37 weeks still 1cm dilated 50% effaced. I am now 39 weeks and 4 days without anything being changed. I was told that I had dropped at 38 weeks yet when I went today my doctor told me I wasn't dropped. Like he swam back up inside me. My question is have any mothers gone into labor without being dropped?

soulcupcake · August 2014

You can go into labor spontaneous without baby being engaged. But once baby is engaged (0 station), it's unlikely he/she will move from that position.

My babies never dropped before or even during active labor. They didn't engage in the pelvis until mere moments from birth. Actually, during my homebirth with my second son, we were inducing labor. There wasn't much going on at all. A lot of waiting and waiting for labor to kick in. But when it does, it's extremely fast, which we were expecting. I didn't expect it to take so long for labor to start. I was 39w4d, and the week before I was 5 cm, 80% effaced with a bulging bag, and he was at -2 station (normal for me), so we were hoping that labor would kick in soon after beginning the process. Nope.

I managed to get to 6 cm with a lot of walking and sitting/rocking on the loo (pressure/gravity can help facilitate labor or cervical progression and baby's descent). Three minutes before his birth my midwife checked me, and I was still 6 cm, my cervix was swollen (from pressure) and he was -1 station.

Similar with dd2. Not even 10 minutes before her birth I was 8 cm with a cervical lip and she was -1 station without a contraction, 0 with. She "engaged" just before birth.

Baby can drop into the pelvis and not be engaged.

flkong · August 2014

"Dropped" refers to the baby's station, the info you gave doesn't tell what station your baby is. I wouldn't worry as "dropping" (lightening) doesn't happen until labor for a large group of people.

MrsLaLaBug · August 2014

You can go into labor whether you have "dropped" or not, if that's what you're asking.

mb314 · August 2014

It's totally normal not to have dropped at this point. DS didn't drop until I was in active labor (I remember thinking - oooooh, this is what women were complaining about when the baby drops before labor). It is really uncomfortable when the baby drops - be thankful you're not feeling that a week or so before labor!

Also, I was checked about 10 hours before my labor started spontaneously, and I was barely 1 cm dilated and only like 60% effaced. I was told I likely wouldn't start labor for another week. They were wrong. Those checks don't mean anything.

britab · August 2014

I went into labor the day after my due date. I had an appointment on my due date and my cervix was so high the doctor couldn't even reach it. I had contractions for about 30 hours and then an epidural. I went from 3.5 to 10 in an hour and she was out in 3 pushes. You never know what can happen!