An increased urge to urinate An increased urge to urinate can be a result of the baby’s head dropping into the pelvis. The low position of the baby’s head puts even more pressure on the urinary bladder, so many women approaching labor might feel a frequent need to urinate.

Your uterus has grown to the height of your belly button, and you should now be able to feel your baby moving around inside. Because this is a very sensitive and emotional time, it’s important to be aware of your feelings and not bottle them up.

So most fetal movement (kicks, etc.) is felt in the lower part of the belly. As both the uterus and fetus grow, a fetus’ movements can be felt all over the belly, including the upper part of the abdomen. So it is completely normal to feel fetal kicks in the lower part of your abdomen prior to 20 weeks.

As the muscles and ligaments in your lower pelvis relax and contractions increase, your baby starts to drop down into your pelvis. This is called engagement. If you’ve had a baby before, engagement might not happen until you are in labor. Engagement causes more pressure in your pelvic area and on your bladder.

Baby’s head is just beginning to enter into the pelvis, but only the very top or back of the head can be felt by your doctor or midwife. 3/5. At this point, the widest part of your baby’s head has moved into the pelvic brim, and your baby is considered engaged.

A woman’s pregnancy bump may look like it is sitting lower when the baby drops. As the baby drops into the pelvis, the pressure in this area may increase. This may cause a woman to feel like she is waddling when she walks. When the baby drops, some women may experience flashes of pelvic pain.

Your baby may be head down if you can:

1. feel their head low down in your belly.
2. feel their bottom or legs above your belly button.
3. feel larger movements — bottom or legs — higher up toward your rib cage.
4. feel smaller movements — hands or elbows — low down in your pelvis.

This is known as dropping or lightening. Dropping is not a good predictor of when labor will begin. In first-time mothers, dropping usually occurs 2 to 4 weeks before delivery, but it can happen earlier. In women who have already had children, the baby may not drop until labor begins.

If you’re not fully dilated or extremely close to it—go ahead and poop. You’ll feel better and that gentle kind of pushing might even help you dilate more. You don’t want to bear down with the full force you’ll need for getting that baby out.

Unfortunately, irregular bowel movements and constipation are common pregnancy complaints. And, all that straining can lead to painful hemorrhoids — swollen veins in the rectum.