When did your 1st babies head engage??

[Leilababyno1]

...Had my 34 wk antenatal today and baby is head down but not engaged at all.

I know this is quite normal for 1st baby...but just wondered when other 1st timers babies started to 'engage'?? Also, are there any exercises I can do to kick start this process?

Ta!

I think it was basically at 40w (had DD at 40+10) - after being really panicked by the stupid MW who told me at 34w that the head hadn't engaged because it was so big and I would probably need a c-section.

DD was 7lb 15 so not exactly a whopper - don't worry too much at this stage. I'm pretty sure that babies heads often don't engage until labour is actually underway so you have a while to go yet.

I think one of the best things you can do is to sit on a birth ball at home as this helps align your pelvis correctly.

Thank-you tiokiko- that's also why I am interested, as baby is predicted to be on the large side and only turned head down a couple of days ago..was breech up til now.

I'll get bouncing on my birth ball I think- I'm longing for some relief on my poor ribs- drop baby drop!

Good luck - I was obsessed with the birth ball for the last couple of weeks.

Hope it all goes well and don't worry about the predicted size, think they are often wrong. I remember reading that bigger babies can be easier to push out - not sure if that's true but I clung onto it in case DD was big!

DD1 didn't engage until labour started. DC2 is following the trend (am 40+2)

DS didn't engage until I was in full-blown labour, 6cm dilated to be exact. I told the midwife "I can breathe!", she had a feel and he had dropped (and I was 10cm with my waters still intact, he was a slow mover!)

I was 3/5 engaged at 38 weeks but wasn't any further at 40 weeks. I'm now 40 + 5 and got midwife tmw so hoping for some encouraging news.

At 31 weeks, fixed and fully engaged. She was born 8 weeks later. I could breathe again but had the most uncomfortable nerve pain in my cervix and actually the rib pain was preferable.

I'm now 38 weeks with DC1, he's been engaged since my 36 week appt. His head is now completely in my pelvis, but apparently that's weirdly early!

Lots of exercises - deep squats, pelvic circles and sitting on birth ball as it aligns your pelvis correctly.

However I wouldn't necessarily be in too much of a hurry for baby to engage. I think mine has started to and the pain in the cervix is eye-watering rather than the feeling-slightly-squished I had before.