Pushing the baby down to engage it - anyone had this?

[lucysnowe]

Hi all

I was speaking to a midwife about my induction and she said that if the baby still wasn't engaged then they could do something which began with an A - ANC perhaps?! - which involved pushing the LO down to see if that would engage it.

Has anyone had this? It sounds a bit hard on the poor LO to me!

Thanks!

Have never heard of this! But will be watching this thread with interest...

Sounds very odd. Babies often don't engage till you go into labour, I think. (DD2 didn't, and that was my first experience of labour, as dd1 was an elective c-section. In fact, a friend joked earlier in the day that I was definitely going to be pg for a bit longer as my bump was so high. That night I went into labour!) Are you sure your baby isn't breech? For breech babies they can do an ECV to turn it the right way up. I'm not an expert (I'm sure someone else will be along who is soon) but as far as I know it's nothing to worry about at all if the baby isn't engaged.

eeek ! not heard of that

i know of ECV to turn a breech baby and the outdated practice of applying fundal pressure to help deliver a baby in the second stage

if baby is not enaged, and you are term + and it is a first baby, then they need to look at why baby is not engaged

Agree with Ellbell. dd didn't engage until labour and my MIL says neither did her 3.

Hmm, okay! I will ask them about it again.

Although I suppose as you say it isn't unusual for the baby not to be engaged, it is my first - and it was breech till 37 weeks - and long walks/ball bouncing hasn't made any difference - so I do worry that something is stopping the LO going down properly.

I'm a m/w and have never heard of it. Doesn't sound 100% risk-free to me. Can't see the benefit either. Baby will engage at some point and if thats in labour then thats fine.

I have never heard of it either. What would stop baby just popping up again?