Bump has "dropped" at 35 wks - any voices of experience please??

[CadburyQueen]

Hello, first time poster here (left it a bit late eh?!).

My little one (first baby) started to engage yesterday at 35w on the nose and I wanted to find out how long other mums took between this stage and going into labour, not least because I'm not due to finish work for another 3 weeks!! There probably isn't any "average" but I am interested to know what other mumsnetters experienced. Now finding it difficult to concentrate at work!

Thanks!

Both my babies heads engaged at about 34 weeks, one was born on time, the other a week late. I think it's perfectly normal for the baby to engage at around this time in a first pregnancy.

hello and welcome

don;t know when my first engaged, but my second started to engage at 34 weeks, but was born bang on her due date..so it is not indication that labour is about to start!

your baby is not fully engaged i take it? is there a number written on your notes? like this 2/5 palp? that tells you how engaged the baby is..

lulumama, what do those numbers mean?

cadbury - Although your baby has started to engage it can move back up again so ther isn't a rule of thumb about "how long it takes from now to labour".

I'm 36 wks and baby is in and out of my pelvis, it's very obvious when he's down as I can breathe and eat again.

I think babies can pop in and out of the first 3/5ths for several weeks...

so is 5/5 fully engaged?

I think they go by how much is palpable ie: how much head tehy can feel above the pelvis
So the lower the number the lower the baby
But I could be wrong

thanks piffle

0/5 means fully engaged.

BUT

depends how it is written!!

3/5 palp means 2/5 of the head is engaged in the pelvis and 3/5 can be felt above the pelvic brim

i checked this in a midwifery book after some confusion, and 5/5 is 'free' 0/5 is head on the pelvic floor !!

thanks lulumama!

welcome , it is the palp bit that will clarify

ie palp - is palpable..the bit they can feel !!

makes it easier to breathe when they drop a bit!

Dropped at 33 wks ,Had him at 34....oops!

I'm having a homebirth so am hoping this guy stays in for one more week, then he is free to come out!
Lulu is 37 wks ok for most homebirths now do you know, m/w told me at 34 wks appt that the 38 wks rules had been changed at least in our area.
Well chuffed!

Thanks for all the replies - feel better now, and not all surprised I'm worrying about nothing for the umpteenth time! I've not had a measurement yet, just called the MW this am to ask about all the cramps last night. Will see how far down next Friday but at least I'll know what the notes mean now!

Piffle, you keep say "He" did you find out in the end then??

LOL yes I was so certain it was a boy
I had an extra growth scan at 32 wks (they suspected gestational diabetes but were wrong)
And it was erm fairly obvious shall we say
And dp is fine with it

I had a growth scan too this week but it's just slightly bigger than average they don't think it's a problem - couldn't see any "goods" tho! We did look but it wasn't in the right position. Did see lots of wispy hair though, cute!

Think it was the extra scan followed by a swift drop that got me nervous.

piffle...tis 38 weeks here, so varies from area to area ! hope it all goes marvelously..don't forget to post as until you reach full dilation

sure all will be well, Cadburyqueen...lots of cramps, BH and odd niggles are par for the course right now x

lulu reckon they dropped the limit here as we are semi rural, and due to cuts in consultant led births at our nearest hospital - it is now 5 bed m/w led unit only - people were trekking to the larger hospital further away (because they were under 38 wks)and having lots of babies in cars all of whom were fine

ok..well , we have no midwifery led unit and a big obstetric unit serving a wide area! bout 30 mins from my house !

I don't think I've had ANY BH yet at all, but hey something to look forward to!

Hello Cadburyqueen
This is my second baby and I was worried too when I dropped at 33 weeks. I started getting the cramps etc. My MW said its nothing to worry about and its just the baby putting pressure on the womb which causes the cramps. Also I find that if I dont go to the loo as soon as I need it, even if I have just gone, this also seems to put pressure on everything and cause cramps.

MW also said that there is not much of babies head left out but that none of this is any indication that she will be arriving soon...

So aparently its all normal....

Hi!having similar experience, felt babys head engaging,went consultant few days later - at 33 wks and he said it was quite well engaged, wrote 2/5s on relation to brim which meant 3/5 are engaged(from what ive read that is considerd engaged although obviously 1/5 or 0/5 would be further down) Went to midwife few days later and she said she could barely feel any of the head...but that was AGES ago...am 38 wks on wednesday. They say the usual is 2-4 wks before baby is born but maybe thats just bcos the head usually engages at 37/38 wks...well thats according to these books but as experience has shown from other people its not necessarily any indication