Anyone went into labour without their baby being engaged?

[Nikki2ol6]

I feel a little down as I really thought I was getting somewhere, a lot of cramps and back pains that get regular in the evenings then stop, a lot of pressure down below a lot of cervical pains and I lost some mucus the other day. My midwife told me today my baby is not engaged what so ever 😕 And said she will be seeing me in a week and then it's my induction and I'm not overly keen on this induction I was really hoping he would come on his own.... so any ladies went into labour without their baby being engaged?

[Ashpan26]

I'd also like to know this I'm 39+2 had midwife today baby is only 4/5 and is back to back I can have a sweep next week but not sure what to do

[Nikki2ol6]

It's such a downer isn't it when you get so close then think it's never going to happen. I really hope some ladies can shed some light

[5madthings]

Yes it's quite common to go into labour without baby being engaged, especially with subsequent babies. Even if baby does engage they can pop in and out.


To help encourage baby to be in a good position look at spinning babies and optimal feotal positioning. Keep knees lower than hips, sit in birth ball, spend time on all fours etc.

[lockie1983]

Yep, me! Saw my midwife about 10am, she said no chance - see you next week and by 10pm I was in labour.

Went for a long walk in the afternoon - almost two hours I think (don't ask me why, was a lovely summers eve and i felt restless) so don't know if that got things going.

[Trifleorbust]

Baby was 2/5 palpable on the day labour started, so she was sort of engaged but not really.

[Kione]

Hi there, I did with DD but she was stuck as well as not engaged and had forceps delivery.
I am 40+1 now and am pretty sure we are heading the same way... Midwife said on Tuesday that baby could come in and out and I was left totally miffed as never heard of that.
Forceps was not that bad the first time round!

[Heirhelp]

Yep, but her head was in the wrong direction so I never engaged. Had to have an EMCS.

[Snowflakes1122]

Don't worry! All my babies bobbed in and out of being engaged. This is especially common in subsequent pregnancies for some reason I was told.

[Annabrooke90]

Subsequents often don't even engage until labour so don't fear. My first was induced and I wasn't fully engaged then. But my further four only engaged once in established labour. My last two were prem and they stopped my labour at 30+4 with my last baby until I was 31 weeks, but when they stopped it my cervix had opened to two cm at the external OS and enough on the internal OS for them to feel the waters but the head wasn't engaged. When pains kicked in well and truly a few days later the head was then totally engaged not palpable at all in the stomach and I was 5cm.

[sj257]

My two children never engaged. Ended up induced because I was overdue both times. Pretty sure the same will happen again this time!

[longdiling]

With my third I was a few days overdue and had started having regular, mild cramps in the morning. I went to a midwife appointment that morning where she was going to do a sweep and she said my cervix was too far back and closed to even do a sweep and that I couldn't possibly be in early labour. My 2nd child was born about 12 hours later! So you never know really. Fingers crossed you won't need that induction.

[passingthrough1]

Yep, was only about 2/5 engaged that morning at midwife check and had baby next day

[mirokarikovo]

I was in so-called "early" labour for days with baby head not engaged. Eventually they broke my waters manually but had to do so poised-and-ready for EMCS just in case it all went wrong. But it didn't go wrong and I went on to have a fairly standard (vbac) delivery.

[Mouthofmisery]

Not sure about the baby being engaged but I can tell you not to worry about inductions. I have had 2 and both were "fine".
I had read a lot about them and had totally freaked myself out. I was told it was THE most painful way to have a baby and heard lots of horror stories and actually I found the opposite. Both with a pessary and with Them breaking my waters and using synctocin drip. I used only gas and air. I'm not in anyway hardcore or a martyr I was up for all the drugs I could get. Don't worry.

[Nikki2ol6]

My last labour was an awful induction where my baby's heart rate dropped as soon as contractions started and I wasn't even 2cm and they brought in Drs to talk about c sections and that's my biggest fear I don't know why