Does Baby Dropping Affect Fundal Height? 🤔

You mentioned that you're 33 weeks along, you went to your doctor's appointment, and the fundal height (or measurement from your pubic bone to the top of the uterus) was the same at 33 weeks as it was at 31 weeks, and you're wondering if this could possibly be affected by the fact that it feels like your baby has dropped. Even if the baby were to drop a little bit in your pelvis, it shouldn't affect your fundal height, because that's affected by the baby's growth, and the baby should be growing from week to week. The fundal height should match your gestational age in centimeters, so at 33 weeks, you should be about 33 centimeters. So your doctor will likely keep an eye on it, and if your belly is still the same size at your next appointment, they'll probably recommend an ultrasound which will check the actual size of the baby. And then if the baby is measuring small, then they'll consider causes for that and decide if intervention is necessary.

As for dropping, if you have dropped, know that that, in and of itself, is not a sign of preterm labor. What you're looking for are signs of preterm labor, which include lower abdominal cramping, lower backache, abdominal tightening, pressure, leaking of fluid, bleeding, and an increase in discharge associated with the pain. If you feel like you're having any of these sensations, go to Labor and Delivery, and they'll check you out and decide if anything needs to be done about it. I hope the best for you and your baby, and if you have more questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/IntermountainMoms, and recommend us to your friends and family