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Ask the Nurse! » Ask the Nurse | General Questions

early labor

Topics: 12   Posts: 25
so as some know iv'e been in the hospital the last 2 days in early labor last night my contractions were 3 mins apart they had to give me 2 shots of trutibiline and sent me home taking the pill form of it every 4 hours im 2 cm dilated but they cant feel the baby he's still way up there they said i just need to make it 2 more days and then ill be a full 36 weeks and well let it ride she said should i be worried they cant feel him and that hes early my daughter was due nov 27th and i had her nov 6th and she was healthy but was also way down can anyone help me please im kinda scared

Topics: 4   Posts: 916

The process of your baby "dropping" or settling deeper into your pelvis in preparation for traveling through the birth canal is called "lightening." With a first pregnancy this may happen days or even weeks prior to birth. However, with later pregnancies, it may not happen until labor begins, or even during labor, (see information below). Because this is not your first baby, I would not worry that the baby is still high. He should drop once true labor begins. Hopefully you can hold labor off for a few more days, or even a week or two; however, as your doctor said, once you reach 36 weeks, you should be all right. Keep us posted!


"Lightening during pregnancy actually refers to the term used to describe the baby engaging in the pelvis before vaginal birth. It is thus named because as the baby moved down from under the rib cage, the mother may feel a sense of relief in that her rib cage expands more easily allowing her to draw deeper breaths and eat without feeling full so quickly . . .
.It should be noted, however, that lightening usually occurs in a first-time pregnancy whereas in subsequent pregnancies, the baby may not drop until labor has officially begun. It can be a gradual process that happens over several days or weeks or it can be an all-or-nothing event." ( http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/lightening-during-pregnancy.html)


"When is my baby likely to drop?  (from http://www.babycenter.com/404_when-is-my-baby-likely-to-drop_1460217.bc)


Expert Answers



Ann Linden, certified nurse-midwife

"It's impossible to say precisely when your baby will "drop" or descend into your pelvis, because every pregnancy is unique. If this is your first baby, this process, which is also called lightening, is likely to occur several weeks before labor begins, though it may happen later. For subsequent pregnancies, lightening often doesn't occur before labor starts."



Topics: 8   Posts: 34
i had my baby at 36 weeks.sort of same thing happened to me.just hang in there and u will be holding your lil one soon



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