Dropped AND Centered

So it was kinda mid-to-late last week that I'd observed some changes indicating our baby girl has dropped into a lower 'engaged' position. Well, this past Sunday night, I'd felt she'd also shifted herself somehow, but I wasn't sure exactly how.... By Monday morning, I became certain she'd dropped AND centered, with her head down, facing inward, and her lil' bum just beneath my lower sternum.

Sooo, yesterday, I went in for THREE HOURS of fetal monitoring (that's another story), and while there, my suspicions were confirmed (and I must add, I'm so pleased with myself that I could recognized the changes correctly): Not only has she dropped, but she has, indeed, centered herself into an engaged birthing position. What does that mean? - well, frankly, this means she's in the right position for labor to begin! She could arrive in just 2 or 3 weeks from now, OR she could just come on time in 4 weeks, nonetheless. Generally though, her having not only dropped, but centered as well, the two together raises the possibility of an early arrival tremendously. It also means that if I stand still for 5-10 seconds, my feet will begin to turn purple (poor circulation), and it also means I feel short of breath most the time, worse than before since my diaphragm can't fully relax for a full intake of air, because her lil' bum is centered smack in the way, rather than off to the side - - and sneezing is really painful, as is yawning or coughing. Oh, and last week's lil' reclaimed bit of room for more food to be taken into my stomach? That's gone now - - plus I'm constantly feeling as though I gotta burp, but that it wouldn't be so good an idea to do so. Dropped and centered is no fun thus far. The latter listing of complaints could improve though in the coming week or so, when she continues to drop further down... with the exception of the poor circulation issue... oh, and my having to pee 1-3 times per hour. That'll just get worse.

This image shown below doesn't show a 'centered' baby, but does show the baby's head in a very, very low, "zero station" 'engaged' position. If the baby in this pic were also centered, the back of the baby's head is what we'd see.

Sooo anyhow, here's what I'm thinking now (especially after having had to get up to pee EIGHT TIMES last night!!!): I'm gunna be a reeeeally good preggers-girl for the next 2 weeks, takin' it super easy, not overdoin' anything. But after 2 weeks from now have past, once it'd be a-okay for her to come a lil' early, I'll be spending my days doing ANYTHING on the 'how to begin labor' list.