2nd+ timers - how long from baby being engaged to actual birth?

[Tinker]

Had midwife round yesterday who has written 1/5 engaged in my notes. I understood that this means engaged. Am 38 weeks on Tuesday and don't finish work until Friday

I understood first pregnancies can engage and disengage for some weeks beforehand but thought, with subsequent ones, engagment came pretty soon before labour.

Stop my panicking please? Please

id say that you have about a week left i had my 2nd ds 2 days after the 1/5 stage

. No, no, no!!!!! Wrong response

Ooh no, right response! Sorry Tinker, I'm desperate! Do you feel that the baby has dropped? I haven't had it confirmed yet but I just know.

Can't tell logic, not very good with this kind of thing. Looks the same to me - still a beach ball stuck on to normal shaped body - but definitely feel more pressure on bladder when walking!! Am still breathless and heartburny as well (she says, desperately clinging on to some vestiges of hope)

It might be possible that the baby is engaging and then disengaging!?! I definately empathise with the beach ball look. Was your first baby late? One midwife told me that if the first one was late, then the second one usually is too...

i thought my twins had engaged (well one of them)so went to see my midvife the same day.
She said they were very low but not engaged, and that i should not worry as nothing will happen for at least a couple of weeks (i was 36 1\2 weeks preganant)I was'nt convince, but took her word for it.
I delivered 48 hrs later.

sorry i was 32 1\2 weeks pregnant
not 36 1\2

Firsts one was 8 days late but midwife said doesn't necessarily mean anything. It's moving quite a lot this morning though.

IIRC DD was 1/5 engaged at about 38 weeks? She was 11 days late........ You have more room so I thought they kind of dipped in and out as they feel like it, but i could be wrong!

good luck anyway

Just goes to show that nobody really knows, not even the medical experts

I was engaged with my second from around 35 weeks ---- went into labour at 8 days overdue

with number 3 i was fully engaged from 27 weeks, but didnt deliver until 38, does that help?

Ah, now these are the right answers. [Phew emoticon] Any more?

Afraid dd2 arrived 16 days early, so I'm not much use, am I: think she just connected and whizzed out. Which is pretty typical of her, really.

OMG no MI. 16 days early would be...TODAY!

'Fraid so. And I was on Mumsnet when my waters broke so beware....

my dd2 didnt engage at all til i was in labour! nor did she stop moving around!

so if 1/5 is nearly engaged what is 4/5 just wondering cause my best friend is due on tuesday and last week the baby was free but this week it is 4/5 so do you wise ones reckon she is gonna go sooner or later??

I was 2/5 engaged 2 weeks before my due date with second pregnancy - she came 14 days late! So I wouldn't panic yet - were you early or late with your first one?

Loobie - was she 4/5 engaged, or 4/5 palpable? I think people write it different ways round, but it's quite significant - 4/5 palpable means 4/5 of the head can be felt outside the pelvis, therefore it's 1/5 engaged. Or 4/5 engaged would be well and truly bedded in!

bump

Tinks, dd didn't engage at all, just went into labour at 41+2. Blimey, what a PITA not finishing until Friday, poor you.

Oh and with ds he was fully engaged at 35 weeks and born at 39+6, so 1 day early. So it doesn't mean anything, necessarily but as MI says, beware! Oh do post if you're in labour won't you? (I appreciate you may have more pressing matters to deal with if you're at work at the time!)

Working from home this week

Oh marvellous, in which case there's no excuse for not letting us all know! Have you decided where you're having babe yet? If it's home, blow by blow account would be good, har har.