Head not fully engaged, how will I be able to go into labour?

[auburnlizzy78]

First baby, due today.

His head has been 2/5 palpable (3/5 engaged) since 37 weeks. Midwife says it may not fully engage until labour. But surely it has to be fully engaged before it can press on my cervix enough to release all the hormones and start labour? I realise for subsequent babies it doesn't necessarily work like that, but as I said, this is my first.

Midwife says it's fine and that a couple of good contractions will make it drop fully into place - but how will I get the contractions in the first place if there's no hormonal "cue"?

Thanks!

Mine isn't very engaged at the mo, and the midwife said she'd seen a reasonable number of births where the baby was totally free floating until contractions started. I'm sure it'll be fine!

Also, you could always try to stimulate a good dose of oxytocin in other ways if you're really worried :)

It's fine. The baby's head pressing on the cervix does aid dilation as labour progresses, but it's not what starts labour in the first place. Hence why people go into labour with transverse/breech babies etc.

Labour can start without full engagement.

DD (my first baby) didn't engage before labour and then it wasn't consistent engagement. Her hand was above her head on all the scans and still there when she was born. There was a lot of stopping and starting of contractions and we think that she was pushing herself up off the cervix with her hand.

(This probably sounds worse than it was. The birth was actually very straightforward, I didn't have a scratch and DD had top apgars.)

ShowOfHands - you raise a good point.....

Does a cup of tea generate oxytocin? I can't really face anything else!

I'd do whatever you want to do.

Some time in the next 2 weeks, you'll have a small baby making all the decisions for you.

Have a cup of tea. Put your feet up and enjoy these last days.

Congratulations.

Ds was only 2/5 engaged when I went into labour at 40+1, I actually felt him move down just after I went into labour. Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine xx

Try not to worry neither of my 2 engaged before labour and both deliveries were normal and quite quick. They both engaged in the 2nds stage. Apparently some women have higher up ligaments supporting their uterus which means that the head cannot engage until they are dilated.