Can you dilate without baby being fully engaged?

[mrsjarvino]

Hi all,
Im 3/5th's engaged and have been for over 6 weeks now. I'm currently 36 weeks, and its my second baby.
I've been getting a lot of pelvic pain and 'clicky' feelings when i move my hips, and keep feeling pressure down low. I also have an insane amount of braxton hicks every day and they're getting more full on.
MW said if I have 'painful' bh's before 37 weeks that aren't regular I should call the hospital, but I'm reluctant to as nothings happened so far, but Im starting to wonder if I'm dilated at all. Im also finding it hard to distinguish between really really uncomfortable and painful as Im so used to them now!
I know you can dilate a while before labour actually starts, but am quite keen to know if you can start dilating before being fully engaged.
Any ideas??
Thanks!

I'm pretty sure that baby often doesn' engage fully untill just before pushing, so yes you can dialte without engaging. (I have no medical knowledge but love watching medical things on tv.. watch lots of birth things..)

hth x

Sounds like latent labour which can go on for weeks. Yes you can dilate while baby not engaged. The theory is that if you have an extended pre or latent labour stage, the actual labour may well be nice and swift. Lucky you!

yes, you can.

with a first baby you're nearly always engaged first, but subsequent babies can float around for ages.

Yep, I was 7cms dilated but DS wasnt engaged, although this was due to polyhydramnios (too much fluid), so he didn't engage until my waters were broken.

Thanks everyone! do you think its worth getting checked out by me to see if and how dilated I am??

Knowing how dilated you are now will give you no idea when you will labour, so I would say its not worth it.

i was fully dilated with dd but head not engaged - i was made to walk/waddle from ward to delivery room to get her to move

Yep, I did ten cm with an undiagnosed footling breech, definitely not engaged!

Hi,

I'm a Midwife and owner of BabyPrep. 3/5th is technically engaged, baby's head will only be classed as 5/5th engaged as he or she is being delivered. It is very common for second babies to be floating somewhere above the pelvis before labour and then fully engaging when labour begins. So yes, you can dilate with baby's head being fully engaged.

Good Luck!

Katie
www.babyprep.co.uk

Thanks all!

So now I'm just not sure what to do with these very uncomfy bh's that err on painful!

My MW said to call Hosp if they were painful, but they didn't need to be regular before 37 weeks. I've got used to to them as I get them so often and have done since about 26 weeks, but if I'd had one like this with my first I prob would have thought I was in labour!

They've def got much more intense, and I've also been getting some really uncomfy shooting, stabbing pains down low, as well as these really intense bh's but they're not regular. Was kind of relying on the regular (every 10 mins etc) thing to let me know if it was proper labour or not, so now have no idea whats going on!
I slept through the first 4 hours of my labour with 1st baby (induced 11 days over at night and given sleeping tab!) so I have no idea what the first stage of labour feels like!
Ahh!

Katie, what would you recommend being a midwife?? Call the hosp if Im not sure or hold off until I know for def??
My worry is that Ill get quite far on (dilated) and suddenly go into full on labour without much warning. Is it even possible to get to 10cm without it being incredibly painful?

Any help greatly received!

Jen x

I was fully dilated with no4,when the midwife yelled down the hallway,this baby is still high up in her pelvis ??