[BohoMama]

It's the weekend, so I can't get any medical opinions without driving an hour to a hospital. I'm hoping you knowledgeable mamas/doulas/midwives can reassure me a little on this:

We are having reconstructions and there is a lot of dust in our home. All of us are coughing like miners, and yesterday I felt my baby descend low into my pelvis following an extreme fit of coughing. The change in my belly's position is visible in the mirror and DH also observed it.

Is this OK at 33 weeks? This baby is my second, so maybe the downward path had been cleared for her by the first? Do I need to worry about premature labor? I haven't experienced any cramps, contractions, bleeding, or other signs of it. With the baby low down like this do I need to take it easy more than before? I kind of feel that I shouldn't exert myself now with yard work, lifting heavy shopping bags, picking up my boy, etc. (Please don't tell me to get out of the dusty environment, I really can't until this project is all done and cleaned up, hopefully the day after tomorrow.)

Thanks for any wisdom.

Melinda

 

[provocativa]

Maybe post this again in the midwives forum. I remember from my reading that babies can pop down and then back up, but I don't know from how far along. If your house was built pre-1978 you could be exposing yourself to lead dust, which is quite toxic. Assuming that's not the case, do take it easy. I wish I had more advice.

 

[charmcitymama]

Can't you call your mw and ask? I know you can't see them today, but, you can see what they think and if they think they need to see sooner then planned.

But, of course, I always stop here first, too.

 

[earthmama369]

Q dropped very early -- her head was down and engaged in my pelvis by week 32. It wasn't caused by coughing or anything, so you might want to check out the role of the external factors with your care provider, but I can just share my experience, which was that she dropped very early, my doctor wasn't at all concerned, I had no signs of early labor, and she stayed in there until 38.5 weeks. Good luck!

 

[earthmama369]

Just another thought -- they make special face masks for working in dusty/toxic environments. There are cheap ones that are just basic filters by virtue of there being material between you and the dust, but there are better (slightly more expensive) ones designed for people with breathing problems, allergies, asthma, or those working in a more hazardous environment. If you're not using one already, that's be a really good thing to invest in and would help cut down on your coughing. I've seen them at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.

 

[gethane]

My baby dropped last week, and I'm only 29 weeks. As its my 5th child, I was pretty concerned. Luckily, I had an OB appt the next day and u/s (I have PIH and GD so frequent u/s). The u/s tech and the doctor both confirmed the baby was very far down, had in fact "dropped" but the dr said my cervix is still long and closed. She didn't seem very concerned once it was confirmed I wasn't effacing or dilating.

Good luck!

 

[Peppamint]

I would call your mw or doc just to let them know... but I carried ds (#2) really low too. His head wasn't actually touching my cervix when my mw checked dialation so he wasn't technically engaged, just sitting very low. Do you think the baby's head is putting pressure on your cervix? If you do, I'd try to take it easy and like the pp mentioned get a mask to help with your coughing.

My friend who went to 41 and 42 weeks with her first two babies ended up starting labor with her third around 37 weeks when her water broke during a coughing fit so do take it easy. Granted, my friend was under tremendous stress and had been sick for a week but better safe than sorry, especially at 33 weeks.

Good luck... and I hope you get your project done soon, it's always a relief!

 

[Lucky Charm]

I was engaged at 29 weeks with my last baby (who is now 7), and I had dilated 2cm and was partially effaced.

I did not cough, but did have the external factor of doing CPR at work because of my job.

I went on bedrest, and successfully completed and delivered my son 4 days before his due date.

 

[be11ydancer]

We have one of those large face-covering dust masks that filters out everything including fumes and it's very difficult to breathe through. I wouldn't recommend it to a pregnant woman because of the difficulty. My DH gets dizzy wearing it. If I wore it, I would get dizzy too and just would rather not risk messing with my baby's oxygen supply. Is there a way to rent an air filter/vacuum or something similar like what would be used in a wood shop? I'm assuming you already have all the windows open and box fans turned on. At the very least, I would wear one of those simple face masks where it's the white cup type that covers the nose and mouth. This could help with some of the dust. Also, I'd be stepping outside frequently for some fresh air.