Being a midwife, talking about how engaged a baby is is part of my day-to-day life, and maybe it’s one of those things I’m guilty of thinking everyone knows about. I might be saying something like “1/5th engaged” and so on, when actually you might be sat there like “WTF?🤷♀️”
There are some key questions that I always get. The main one being about how engagement of baby’s head relates to going into labour. The answer to this is not straightforward. As a first time Mum, your baby may start to engage by 36 weeks. This doesn’t mean that you’re going to go into labour any time soon. However, the pressure of baby’s head on the cervix IS something that can contribute to the start of contractions (this is why squats, walks and bouncing on your birthing ball can help kickstart labour.) So… if your a first time Mum and your baby is still quite high in the pelvis, doing some biomechanics positions can help your baby navigate through the pelvis so that baby can start to put pressure on your cervix, which can help kick start labour.
Now… looking at second (or more time) Mums. Often the head engages later on in their pregnancies, and sometimes contractions start first, which then help nudge baby down the pelvis more in early labour. But, the same rule applies for a second time Mum, if baby is high in the pelvis and you are due any day, then doing some biomechanics positions can help baby find their way through the pelvis, which can help with labour.
See what I mean… it’s a little confusing! So whilst having a baby that is engaged in your pelvis may be seen as a good thing to count towards labour starting, if baby is still higher in your pelvis it doesn’t necessarily mean that labour isn't going to start! Things can change all too quickly with a mother that’s due to go into labour !
Hopefully this reel makes it easier to understand, and you can tick off your bit of birth prep for the day ✅ Make sure you tag your birth partner so they’re clued up when they’re in there with you ✅
Негізгі бет What your midwife means when they say baby's head is engaged 👶
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