When did your baby's head engage in your first pregnancy? Was it very late?

[donkey86]

I'm 40+3 with my first and, as far as I know, baby's head isn't engaged yet. I say as far as I know because the midwife said it wasn't engaged at my last appointment, but that was nearly two weeks ago. It doesn't feel like anything's changed since then - my bump is still high up, I don't feel any pressure low down, I haven't started to 'waddle', etc. Also, baby is still turning a lot - always head down, but some days s/he is back to back, other days the opposite.

Googling this brings up a lot of information about how it's normal for second and later pregnancies, but not much about when this happens with a first. So I'm interested to know if this happened with you and, if so, how things progressed. I assume it's a sign I'll be going quite a long way overdue and end up needing an induction.

I'm booked in for a sweep on Wednesday, but I've read conflicting advice about if they will attempt one before the head is engaged. Anyone had this happen?

Can't remember all that well, but I'm sure at my last appt with #1 (which IIRC was only a few days before I had her) she was only about 2-5ths engaged (so a couple of fingers' worth, still relatively free) I assumed I had ages left. Had no other signs, never lost mucus plug, nothing. Ended up going into labour at 40+1 and she was born that evening. First sign of labour was contractions! Things can change very quickly. Good luck OP (with the sweep and the birth!)

wasn't engaged further than 2/5 until waaaaay until labour- in fact until about 25 mins before I delivered him, when my waters went

They were telling me there was no way I'd go into labour spontaneously at 40+6.... DS was born a day later

Sorry ... meant to say waters didn't go until 25 mins before delivery, not that his head didn't engage!

My babies head was 2/5 engaged when I was around 33-34 weeks. My lovely midwife was very surprised and kept checking I had my hospital bag packed! I had a lot of pelvic pain and that was the reason. He arrived on his due date though!

My 1st born was 1/5 engaged from 34weeks and stayed there right up until I went into labour (I was induced due to being 8days overdue)

I'm 33 weeks and 4/5 engaged. My midwife said it didn't mean I would have an early labour. There's so many conflicting experiences though, I don't know what to think!

My DD was pretty much fully engaged from 32 weeks and even with a weak cervix that casually started dilating at 37 weeks, I still went to 40+5 before I popped. My friends baby didn't engage at all until her waters broke at 40+4 and her DS was born 7 hours later, she had been told the previous day that a sweep wasn't possible as her cervix was too high and that she'd end up being induced.

DC1's head was engaged from about 37 weeks. He was born at 39+2.