Baby Dropping in Late Pregnancy: Signs & What to Expect

Question
I am 38 weeks and as far as I know I am not dilated one bit.  This is my first pregnancy.  I have noticed that the lower part of my stomach is not hard anymore.  It is very loose and the top part of my stomach is still hard.  I was wondering if it was possible that the baby has dropped. What are some signs indicating the baby has dropped?

Answer
Hello Alida- the softening of your lower uterus is a normal part of late pregnancy. If your baby has dropped, you would be noticing that you are able to take deeper breaths, able to eat larger meals and need to empty your bladder more often. These things may not happen until just before you start labor, or they may happen a couple of weeks before labor begins. If you are asking these questions, I suspect you did not take prenatal classes- I am curious as to why you did not do this. Get back to me- all the best- Cheri.