What were your 'stats' when you went in to labour with your first child?

[FTMF30]

Just trying to get a grasp on what is common. I'm currently 38+1 and my baby's head is only 4/5 engaged. I'm pretty disappointed. I've had no bloody show and no signs of contractions. I'm also having a lot less discharge. I do have very frequent tightenings though which I believe is just Braxton Hicks.

So, just wondering do you have to definitely have these things happen before going into labour? Was your baby's head engaged? Did you have a bloody show/lose mucus plug? Did you have contractions? Did you experience increased discharge? etc.

[Cutyourshakehole]

Hi my baby’s head was 3/5 at 39 weeks and she said they bob in and out..
Both pregnancy’s I had no mucus plus until I was in proper labour and contracting every 8-10 mins or so.
I had no increase or decrease in discharge.
I had tightness on bump on and off from 30 weeks so signalled nothing really.

[FTMF30]

@cutyourshakehole Oh that's good to hear. I thought baby's head had to be fully engaged before labour for first timers.

[Tilliebean]

I think DD was fully engaged before labour. I had stop start labour for a few days, plug started going during that. Contractions went for a few hours then stopped!! Don’t remember about discharge.

[HerculesMulligan]

I went into hospital at 42 weeks and DS wasn't engaged then! You sound like you're in a great position for a nice on-time delivery.

[IndominousRex]

My baby’s head was still free about 5 hours before being born.

[JustPurple]

I was 2/5 engaged at my appointment at 36+6. The consultant (who had the stature of the BFG) was in no way gentle ascertaining this and then invited his medical student to confirm. My waters went 12 hours later!

I had no tightening, loss of plug, signs etc before this.

[annlee3817]

DD was almost fully engaged at 32 weeks, had a bloody show after my second sweep at 40 weeks, which was a Wednesday. Started getting flecks of blood everytime I went for a wee on the Sunday. Waters started going early hours of the Monday, contractions started an hour later. I had a lot of Braxton Hicks on the Sunday and they had some regularity to them, can't remember re the discharge.

[TeddyIsaHe]

Dd was never fully engaged, I expected to be very late. Mucus plug went at 9am at 39+5, contractions started almost immediately and she was born the next day.

[FTMF30]

Thanks for the replies.

I guess the head engagement has little bearing on how close labour is. I've been sailing through this pregnancy but the worry and anticipation towards the end is a massive challenge. It's so unnerving!

[Cottipus]

Waters broke at 38 + 4. Was sent home for 24 hours to see if labour started naturally. It didn’t but I had BH so I went in the following day for induction.

I was 3 cm dilated when induction started! The BH were actually contractions.

They say you’ll always know if you’re in labour but I beg to differ on that...

[laelti]

I think I was either 3/5 or 4/5 engaged at my last routine appointment at 39+6 (also had a sweep then).

Contractions woke me up 5am-ish 40+4. Had a tiny bit of blood on wiping after getting up. Never had any braxton hicks! Lost my plug just before my first exam in hospital (11am), when I was told I was 8cm dilated.
Waters went some point between then and 2.30pm (don't know when but I was in the pool!), baby born at 4.16pm. I was pretty happy with that for a first baby!

[slylyeatingbiscuits]

My last MW app at 38 weeks baby was 4/5 engaged.

I had a show on the Sunday night, started getting period type pains on the Monday night and she was born on the Tuesday night at 39+5

[Thesearmsofmine]

Ds1 was an undiagnosed breech baby so was never engaged and I went into labour on my due date. I didn’t lose a plug or anything before labour, I didn’t really have any signs tbh!

[AreWeDoingThisNow]

4/5 palpable (so not very engaged) at 39+1. Born at 39+4.

[MeadowHay]

My contractions started mildly and irregularly anywhere between 3 and 10 minutes apart at 4am on Tuesday. I saw the midwife for a routine appt at 11am and I was 2cm dilated, baby was 2/5th palpable, she did a sweep, when I got home I started having a bit of a bloody show. I went to hospital around 10.30pm when I was still only 3cm dilated but had a few more shows over the next few hours, re-examined about 4am and was 8cm. Gave birth around 9.30am but unfortunately had to have a ventouse delivery after pushing for an hour and being unable to do it myself as I was so exhausted after the awful long labour, no sleep for around 28 hours by the time I started pushing and no pain relief until I was 8cm dilated etc.