Baby "Dropping" timeline.

[Maxine1988]

Hi all.
Ive read on several sites that in your first pregnancy the chances are that your baby will "drop" between roughly two & four weeks before labour ... but what i am struggling to find is how long it can take from your baby starting the drop to actually being classed as "dropped".
I am 36+4 (with 24 days until EDD) at my visit with my midwife yesterday she said my baby has begun to drop, but im assuming the "two to four week" theory is from the point the baby is classed as "dropped" not from the first signs of baby dropping. Does anyone have any ideas that may help answer my question ... how long from start to finish does the "dropping" process take? Many thanks (sorry for the post being so long)

It's a case of everyone is different I'm afraid. My bump visibly dropped at 32 weeks, DD was pretty much engaged and I didn't go into labour until 40+5. Some people's drop during labour, others in the days before.

Hi annlee3817.
Do you know when your baby started to drop? I know you said they had visibly dropped at 32 weeks, but would you say you had any idea whether the dropping started days weeks or even months previous to 32 weeks?

I remember feeling different at around 31ish weeks, and I said to my consultant at my 32 week check up that I thought she'd dropped, and he confirmed that she had and could see when doing an internal scan that she was very low down. I was being monitored anyway every two weeks due to being high risk for prem labour.

Tbh it doesn't really mean anything and doesn't help you predict when the baby will arrive. My first hadn't dropped by 35 weeks then arrived unexpectedly at 35+5.

What @Oysterbabe said. I dropped at 36 weeks (I literally felt the drop, sudden weight and pain in pelvis) and I’m now 41 weeks and still waiting. Have had weeks of positive comments about how low baby is, how open cervix is etc. Unfortunately all the ‘early’ drop did was raise my hopes.

Mine never dropped with either DC

Well maybe during labour but I was too distracted to notice then!

First babies engage much sooner but often come late so I don’t think the theory is correct. My 2nd engaged in labour. They can tell by feeling for the head in the pelvis and give you a ‘grade’ 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5 and full.

Oh and they can bob in and out of the pelvis too, babies come when they are ready.

DD was 1/5 engaged at my 30 week appointment. She arrived at 40 weeks exactly. I think it's pretty random.

My first never dropped that I could tell (and she wasn't engaged at my midwife appt before either) and I went into labour naturally at 37 weeks.

Relax OP, your baby will be here sometime within the next 5ish weeks

Hi everyone. Just wanted to say thankyou for all the posts. I found them all very interesting to read. Big thanks xxx

I went in to hospital at 39+3 and was told baby was still really high and they needed to drop. I went in to labour less than 12 hours later!