To ask if you went into labour without baby's head being in your pelvis?

[Bippitybopityboo]

38+3 today and I'm so ready to have this baby, but she's clearly not ready. Midwife checked today and she's not in my pelvis yet. I have awful spd and I'm just exhausted chasing my toddler I'm really ready for this baby now! (I'm sick of hearing myself moaning, I know I'm very lucky before anyone starts that). My blood pressure is also getting high too (141/85)

Was anyone told baby wasn't in their pelvis yet and still went into labour, I feel as though I'm in it for the long haul. DS came on his due date and I was hoping this one would be a little earlier!!

Yes, but ended up with unpleasant forceps delivery, so don't recommend it!

Yes I had awful forceps delivery in theatre last time would love to avoid that again.

Yes with dc2. I felt him dropping a few hours before delivery. I'd been in labour nearly 12 hours by this point. All went well. Good luck x oh i was 8 days late.

Yes. Ended up as a CS at 42 weeks, and turned out he was so tangled up in the umbilical cord he was never going to engage normally. Absolutely fine in the end, but I could have done without the 48 hours of non-progressing labour.

Yep, midwife palpated wheb i was in early labour and head was free. 9 hours later waters went and i was fully dilated and head was still high. They wanted to take me into theatre for a trial after 1.5 hrs pushing but i somehow managed to push her out before the anaesthetist came to do the spinal block. The midwife did try and encourage me to sit on a birthing ball but i couldn't manage it. Maybe get bouncing now though if you have one!

Yes. Ended in an EMCS three days later as only side of my cervix was dilating.

Yep. Immediate EMCS as he went into distress.

As this doesn't sound good. I'll definitely be sitting on my ball all the time now!

Definitely get bouncing on the ball. That's fantastic for getting heads in the right place! Good luck!

I don’t think it’s uncommon for the baby to not engage before labour in subsequent pregnancies - maybe something about lots of room? My second didn’t, even in labour as she behind the waters. The pressure was excruciating but they popped me at 4cm when my body was pushing and I dilated to 10cm instantly, she was born a few pushes later. So not horrific, or troublesome for me or baby. Good luck

Yep with all three DC! One awful Emcs and two easy deliveries

I think with second DC’s the baby doesn’t necessarily engage before labour. I had a midwife appointment about 1pm when I was 3 days overdue and she said baby wasn’t enhanced and just seemed comfortable...2hlurs later (on the school run) my waters started leaking and by 6am I had DD2 in my arms after a really straightforward waterbirth. She was quite high until my waters broke and then once they went she was born 40 mins later!

Yes with dc3, was hoping for a home birth but taken off the list as baby too free. Also told to go into hospital early labour due to risk of cord prolapse if waters go before baby engages. He was still not engaged when I went in, but was born 8 hours later with no intervention. We barely made to the delivery room. This was 5 days early. I did bounce on ball all the time.

I had a midwife appointment at 39+5 where she said DS was only 1/5 engaged, not looking at all likely he would come anytime soon. He arrived the next day but like others it was unfortunately a horrible forceps delivery - he got stuck and never descended properly into the birth canal. The midwives kept asking me if i had any urges to push but I had none at all as he was so high up.

I did. Midwife told me at 40 weeks she thought my pelvis was too small as I am tiny. I actually went home in tears thinking my baby would never get out.
4 days later went into labour. 14 hours later with 5 hours of pushing still not engaged. Doctor examined me very painfully and told me I had a rubbish pelvis but keep trying!
Was about to be subjected to forceps but then baby got very distressed and heartbeat dropped rapidly and sent in for emergency section. She was very poorly when out but now very healthy 11 year old.
Was told never to try for natural birth again and I haven’t.

This is actually not uncommon in second or subsequent babies. Probably not a cause for concern right now.

Yes! My waters broke on the day of my planned c section. I got to hospital and she was in the Oblique position, basically meaning that she was lying across me with her head in my hip! I had my c section immediately and she was born within 2 hours of arriving at hospital.

My DS was 1-2/5 engaged (can’t remember which) at 5pm on a Friday, when I was 40+6 . They were desperate to induce me there and then as my BP was a bit high - but I asked for one more day to see if he came naturally.

At 10pm that night, after a sweep and a visit to an osteopath/craniosacral therapist who did a slightly “woo” “induction”, I went into labour.

By 7am the next morning I was at the hospital and when they examined me about 9am I was fully dilated (they got a shock. They thought I was a few cm as very calm- but I did do hypnobirthing)

He was born at 10.23am. Waters went about 23mins before delivery.

No drugs, no forceps, and a lovely happy labour/delivery- so it is possible!

Oh - and he’d been that far “engaged” at every appt after 32 weeks....

I was so hoping for a better positioned baby this time!
Definitely going to get on the ball and keep every thing crossed! (Excpet maybe my legs!! )

No idea! I’ve had two! Don’t remember this ever being mentioned!?

My first wasn’t engaged as of a few days before I went into labour and I had her (naturally) at 37+5. My second was engaged from 34 weeks! That’s fairly unusual for non-first babies who don’t tend to engage until just before labour begins. Despite being engaged from 34 weeks, he wasn’t born until 40+5.

I think subsequent babies are often not engaged, there's more room for them. My second wasn't engaged 15 mins before she was born.

Yes. With all of them and all were straightforward albeit with long first stages