question for moms of many re: not dropping until labor

[snowmom5]

Was labor nonetheless "triggered" in the general ballpark of your "usual" (if there is such a thing) time? Or later/earlier?

Was labor particularly longer (or shorter) than what is "usual" for you?

Anything else that was different about such a labor, or surprisingly the same?

Just wondering. I'm 37 weeks now and I am not accustomed to *not* having alot of pressure on my cervix by this point. I never thought I'd be longing for that bowling ball between my legs. My last one was born at 38w0d, after being 3 cm/80% effaced prior to the start of active labor - presumably thanks to at least some pressure on the cervix. Labor was also fast/intense. Both of my last two babies were at -2 prior to the start of labor (in the pregnancy before that, my baby A was at 0+ station for weeks while I was on bedrest). I know -2 isn't super low, but it's a lot lower than this time. This time my pelvis hasn't really pulled apart, if you know what I mean. The baby's head is floating pretty high, I think, though she was able to touch it after sticking half her arm up there. I'm not dilated at all (well, 1 cm, but that doesn't count, that's permanent ). She said 50% efffaced (this was at a check a few days ago), but I wonder if she was just being nice .

I know that dliation/effacement supposedly doesn't have anything to do with when you'll go into labor, but for me, in the past the earlier I start dilating, the earlier I have delivered (over 3 vaginal deliveries, 33, 39 and 38 weeks).

And I know that supposedly it doesn't matter if baby hasn't dropped. (Ob said something like "sometimes" it doesn't matter .) But it does seem like baby's position can, at least for some people, affect dilation prior to labor(?). I'm just looking for personal experiences with not dropping, particularly from those who've had many kids. thanks!

ETA: this will hopefully be vbac #4, this is pregnancy #5, baby #6. baby's position is LOP, according to u/s two days ago - sorta facing diagonally out the right front of my belly - if that means anything... Chin is tucked. Thinking out loud, has the baby not dropped because the baby is LOP, or has the baby not dropped because my pelvis hasn't pulled apart yet?

I do realize I'm trying to figure out the answer to a question that has no answer (when will I go into labor). I'm just scraping for clues

[Lineymom]

Neither of my boys dropped before labor. They were "floating" and not fully engaged. I think I was a two at the start of labor with both. The first was a terribly long labor 25 hours. The next was 13 hours from the first contraction, but not a bad labor at all. I had a U/S with him 3 days before birth and he was looking straight in front (opposite from what he should have been.) I did a ton of pelvic tilts. Who knows if it really helped but he rotated in early labor and I never had back labor.

First was 10 days past EDD 2nd was 3 days before EDD. You got plenty of time.

[snowmom5]

Thanks! I would love if the head got down to -2 before labor. At this point I don't think there's an identifiable station LOL. I do have another 3 weeks so anything can happen, though neither I nor my docs are crazy about going over 40w (I have a clotting issue, among other things), and methods of otherwise starting labor are rather limited due to vbac (a sweep and perhaps AROM, if we're desperate, though I'm not crazy about AROM - they wouldn't be willing to do either one until at least 39w).

I'll probably try more pelvic tilts...

[MamaQuest]

My daughter, baby #3 for me, didn't drop until late into labor itself, and was transverse for a portion of that short labor (about 3 hours total) before dropping. My first two dropped several weeks before that, so it had me worried as well, but didn't seem to slow labor down at all once it got going. My 4th dropped the day before he was born, and #5 dropped during labor once again.

[Mamatoabunch]

I have never had the bowling ball between the legs feeling. Mine never dropped that I recall. 7 VBACS and all except first were short labor. Most under 4 hours. All born between 37-39 weeks. I have been 4-5 by 28 weeks w/ the last 6 babies or so.

[Sudonk]

My second baby didn't drop until about 3-4 hours after I reached full dilation. He was high and floating until my water broke several hours after my first cervical check showed that I was fully dilated. He was born about 6 minutes after the water broke. I guess it was a long-ish birth, but it was also really gentle and comfortable, so I just went about my normal day and didn't pay much attention until full dilation, so it wasn't a big deal.

[snowmom5]

Thanks ladies! I had a little surprise at my check yesterday - I'm 2.5 cm dilated and 50% effaced, and the baby is now at -3 station - that's quite an improvement! I'm still not feeling much in the way of pressure, so I'm mystified by the dilation (without the pressure, I don't feel the "stretch" going on during big contractions). I'm feeling so weird the past few days that I won't be surprised if I go into labor very soon. So I'm a lot more optimistic than when I wrote the OP. Still, the baby is LOP, so we'll see. In the middle of the night last night the baby was moving in such a way that was extremely painful, but seems to be in the same old position this morning.

I lost 3.5 lbs in one week - and I think it's all fluid. I've been sweating a lot at night. I think something is going on - I vaguely recall something like that happening a few days before my last one was born. I was quite crampy all day yesterday after the check, surprising considering it was a very gentle check as far as cervix checks go. Maybe it was the low pressure from all-day big thunderstorms... I had my first ever protein craving of the pregnancy, at 4:30 am, for a roast beef sandwich (thank goodness, because if I have to look at another egg I'll probably throw up). I had to send DH out for some this morning. And I'm so nauseous, but in a weird way. Contractions have been very sporadic the past few days, but there have been several that were longer than a minute and even more that take my breath away. and all this means... probably nothing

The only sure sign that the baby will come this weekend is that my babysitter is out of town.

[Youngfrankenstein]

I always thought the "rule" was that first babies dropped at the end of pregnancy and subsequent ones did during labor. Maybe that's a myth?