41+1 Baby Not Engaged

[EdithGrantham]

I'm a FTM, 41+1 weeks with not so much as a Braxton Hicks or bloody show and getting a bit fed up now.

The baby's head was engaged last week but have been seen by the midwife today and that's no longer the case.

Because of this she wasn't able to perform a stretch and sweep (which I was hesitant about anyway) but has booked me in for an induction this weekend. Has anyone been in a similar position and gone into spontaneous labour? I've also read that induction may not be successful if the baby isn't engaged at the start of the process but I've only come across this today after trying to read some positive induction stories.

Congratulations op. Not the route you wanted but I'm glad the baby is here, well and you're recovering.

@MyGrassIsBrowner I have had two CS and trapped wind with the second. Peppermint tea was definitely the best option! Bleeding post CS is the same as bleeding after a vaginal birth ie it is different for every woman and not lighter necessarily if you've had a CS. The bleeding is from the wound where the placenta was which you will have regardless of method of delivery. I bled pretty heavily for 6 weeks after my first but only for 2 weeks after my second and it was quite light. You definitely need to be prepped with a supply of pads regardless.

I found my CS recoveries much easier than some friends who had vaginal births. Good luck for the 4th October!

@ShowOfHands still to this day I dont believe my midwife got all of my placenta out first time. I was losing clots/tissue the size of my fist, however I kept calling the delivery suite and weren't particularly interested unless I felt faint, which thankfully I didn't, but still doesn't make you any less worried. On my delivery notes it does say that the placenta was 'partially fragmented' I could be completely wrong here but that tells me there was some still retained.

I bled for a lot longer than 6 weeks after my delivery but I am prepared for similar blood loss with this one, I aren't under any impression it'll be lighter just because of having a section. Though the consultant did say they are more thorough in scraping the walls and removing as much as they possibly can (obv they have access to it much more easily than if you have to go into theatre and have a fist up your fanjo) 🥴

Thanks for the tips though! Willl definitely bear all this in mind! X

They can definitely remove a lot of the stuff which contributes to the immediate post birth deluge but after that, it's all luck of the draw.

Try not to worry about it too much. I positively enjoyed my second CS. A nice lie down and a few opiates seemed quite pleasant tbh. And they handed me a great little baby to take home.

@ShowOfHands After such a crap experience with my first I'm rather looking forward to laying there and having someone else do the work for me, lol.
Think my main worry is that I'm booked in 4 days before due date, I'm just praying she'll hold out until then 😬

Hopefully, if she doesn't they'll just turn the planned CS into an emergency one but done in time, it should be as calm as possible. Both mine were emcs and the first was extremely traumatic. The second was a really healing time as I came out of labour and delivery smiling instead of shell-shocked. Just pack your big pants and peppermint!