When the belly of a pregnant woman goes down is a question that worries not only primiparous women. Even with the second or third pregnancy, most women tend to worry about this.
The belly sinks at the end of pregnancy
Starting from 33-34 weeks of pregnancy, a woman's belly can go down. This is due to the fact that the child, preparing for the birth, occupies a certain position. The most common presentation is cephalic presentation. At the same time, the child's head descends into the mother's pelvis. If before she was in the abdominal cavity, the last weeks most often the head will be in the pelvis.
When the belly finally drops, there is some relief for the pregnant woman. It becomes easier to breathe, heartburn occurs less often. After the child is lowered into the pelvis, the load for the woman is slightly reduced.
Not everyone has a stomach before giving birth. If a woman does not have the muscles of the abdominal wall, the fetus is very large, or the expectant mother has a narrow pelvis, abdominal prolapse may not occur.
In such a situation, an operative delivery can even be used, that is, a caesarean section operation.
When the belly drops in primiparous and multiparous
The earliest when the belly can go down is in the middle of the last trimester of pregnancy. However, in practice, things can be different. The abdomen may drop at 29 weeks or remain in the same position at 39 weeks.
A sagging belly does not always indicate the imminent approach of childbirth. This can happen a month before giving birth, or a couple of days. But most often it happens at 36-37 weeks. From this moment to delivery, except in special cases, 2-3 weeks pass. No one, however, can guarantee that if the belly sank today, the baby will not be born tomorrow.
If a woman is not expected to give birth for the first time, the belly usually sinks at 38 weeks of gestation. Meanwhile, in primiparous women, the interval from the moment the baby's head is lowered into the pelvis until delivery is about three weeks, and with repeated births, this period can be about a week.
During pregnancy, the uterus slightly changes the position of the organs in the woman's abdominal cavity. An overgrown belly can press on a woman's lungs or stomach, making it difficult to breathe or heartburn. After lowering the abdomen, it becomes easier for a woman to breathe, heartburn decreases, but these sensations can be replaced by pressure on the bladder and a feeling of heaviness in the perineum.
A clear sign that the belly has dropped is if the woman can place her hand between her belly and chest.
Lowering the abdomen before childbirth is a purely individual process for each woman. It depends on many factors, but in combination with other signs, it makes it possible to judge the approaching birth.
