38 weeks, baby still not engaged...help?

[seasister]

Exactly as the subject header says...my baby is head down but not engaged and I'm worried that I'll go overdue and then have to face the dreaded induction.

If I'm not engaged by this time, does it mean the baby will be late? Is there anything I can do to help?

oh no, baby's head can engage on the day she/he is born! It is usual for the head to engage a little earlier than that with your first baby, and people say the head can engage up to 4 weeks before, but that does not mean you will go over due if not engaged by then.

DD was engaged by 37.5 weeks and i gave birth by 38.3.

Good luck!!

seasister - as said I wouldn't worry yet I am 38plus5 with DC2 and baby was engaged 3 weeks ago then popped out again and is no longer engaged - think he just went down for a quick look !

Thank you both!

i'm in the same boat here seasister! would love to avoid going overdue if at all possible.. not sure if there is anything we can do to encourage it to get engaged

can't remember if its first that doesn't generally engage until labour, or subsequent ones. Been that long since my first lol.It can do it last minute though in any I know that :)

second and subsequent babies sometimes don't engage right until they are born.

my DS, who was my first, didn't engage until about half an hour before he was actually born. My whole labour he was only barely under the brim, had VE at 2:10 am and was found to be 2cms and him not engaged. by 2:15 he was engaged and I was fully, and by 2:40 he was born.

My 1st 2 never engaged before labour, I'm currently 38+4 with dc3 and baby has been engaged for over a month!

Being an incredibly naive 21 year old with ds2 when they told me pretty much that I needed a cs I went along with it. I had a scan at 39+3 to check nothing was stopping hte head engaging. As there was no reason I was booked to go into hospital at 40+3, if he wasn't engaged I would have an induction to see if that got baby moving and if there was no joy there then it would be a cs. Having no MN or anyone to speak to I just thought they were right and went along with it. Thankfully he was born at 40+1 after a quick, easy labour.

Same story with DD1. Spent a lot of time climbing stairs sideways but it was pointless. Never engaged prior to labour. Long labour but successful planned home birth.

mine was still not engaged when i was actaully fully dilated.but all worked out in the end.