Descending

The descent is the moment when the baby sinks into your pelvis with the 'front part' (usually the head, but sometimes also the tailbone). Most babies descend from the 30th week of pregnancy. Many expectant mothers are afraid that this is too early, because they think that the baby will be born earlier. However, this is not the case! The moment of descent says nothing about the time of birth.

PROS & CONS

The descent of your child has advantages:

  • By now, it becomes difficult for the baby to turn over completely. So if it is already positioned nicely with the head in your pelvis, then the chance of breech is very small. The baby can still 'turn around the axis' and thus lie on his/her other side.
  • When the membranes break, the pelvis is well closed by the head so that it is no longer possible for the umbilical cord to prolapse.
  • The deeper your child has descended, the shorter the distance he still has to travel while you are pushing.

There are also disadvantages:

  • As a result of your baby’s descent, you can suffer a stabbing pain in your vagina, pain in your groin and a cramping feeling in your lower abdomen (dial contractions).
  • Walking is sometimes a bit more difficult after the descent of your baby. You feel as if you are 'waggling'.
  • If you do not have your first child, you sometimes have the feeling that your child's head 'hangs between your knees', or that it is very deep. This has not so much to do with the descent, as with the relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles.

The advantage of this is that pushing for a second or subsequent delivery also only takes 10 minutes on average!

You usually do not feel whether your baby has descended. Ask us at the check-up and we will feel it and tell you.

DESCENT CONTRACTIONS

Descent contractions can sometimes occur as early as 30 weeks, but more often they do not occur until 34/35 weeks. The baby is then busy descending into your pelvis and that is usually accompanied by extra hard bellies or a menstrual feeling in your lower abdomen.

Sometimes this gives the idea that labor is about to start. You notice that it has not yet started, because the descending contractions do not get stronger, but stop again. Heat (shower, bath, hot water bottle) often provides relief, which often has a relaxing effect.