Head still not engaged at 38 weeks - should I worry

[hippopo]

I am 38 weeks, had MW appoint yesterday and she has said head still free. All I have read about first pregnancies and experiences of other pregnant ladies due around same time as me has said head starts to engage by now. Also I haven't really felt any pressure low down that other people have been describing around 36 weeks or so.

At yoga this morning teacher said to keep an eye on it as there may be a physical reason baby can't engage - i.e. umbilical cord is too short.

Now worried I may not be able to have natural homebirth I have been planning if he will not engage.

Any tips or previous experience?

Thanks

sometimes they dont start to engage until during the beginning of labour, i didn't think it was anything to worry about really? both of mine didnt engage by that time or even by 40 weeks (both overdue though) but nothing was wrong like with the cord or anything
if midwife didnt seem worried or concerned about it, then i wouldnt take too much notice of yoga teacher

they check the length of your cord at 20 week scan so if it was short you would have been told. i agree with firawla trust the midwife over your yoga teacher, i had a hospital check the other day and they said as long as head it down it doesnt matter if its free it will engage when your waters go

Thank you both that does make me feel more reassured. You know what it is like someone plants a seed in your head and then you think all sorts!

I also had a 34 weeks scan as they were slightly worried that placenta was too long at 20 week but it was fine at 34 so they defo would have noticed if too short at 34 weeks I would think.

I also have massive hips so not going to worry about pelvis being too narrow .... not yet anyway

thanks

I am similarly fretting as my baby is only slightly engaged (not really at all - head just in pelvis, apparently). And she keeps turning round, being back to back and then not back to back - quite annoying! I am 39 + 4.

Hi. My third son was not fully engaged (about 3/5 iirc) and I was 5cm dilated and in active labour. Midwife had me sit on the birthing ball for a couple of hours. It was fine.

yoga teachers can come out with all sorts of bollox, I agree with memphis that you should give more credence to what your midwife reckons.

ds1's head never engaged. As it was my 1st they sent me for a scan to check nothing was stopping it. I was told that if I hadn't had baby by 3 days overdue I'd be brought in to be induced, to see if that helped, if not I'd need a section. Naively at 21 I went along with everything they said thinking they knew best.

1 day after my due date I had an 8hr pain free labour.

I had a midwife appt the day I went into labour and she assessed DD's head as 4/5ths engaged, i.e. hardly descended at all. I went into labour that evening and by the time I got to hospital at 1.45am next morning the head was at station +1 i.e. station is fully engaged, so she was starting to descend.