If over half of baby's head is sitting nicely in your pelvis then your midwife will write “3/5 engaged”. It is unlikely for baby to get more engaged than this in pregnancy before you are in labour. Your contractions are what will help baby move further into your pelvis.
The truth is, there is no answer to this question that is the same for all women. In first time mothers it usually means labour is 2-4 weeks away. For women who've already had children, the baby may not 'drop' until labour begins. It can even vary for the same woman with different pregnancies too.
E or Eng = engaged. 5/5 = free. 4/5 = sitting on the pelvic brim. 3/5 = lower but most still above the brim.
It's measured on a scale of -5 to 3 “stations.” When your baby is at a -5 station, they haven't settled into your pelvis at all. If they're at 0 station, they're fully engaged. Once you've gone into labor and the baby is crowning, they're at +3 station.
It means 2/5 of her head is still above your pelvis - the resy is 'engaged'. If you were 5/5 she'd still be floating around, not engaged at all - where as 0/5 would be fully engaged. It's a good thing, means she's getting ready. First babies often engage weeks before birth.
So 5/5 or 4/5 in your notes means that your baby hasn't dropped all the way down yet, while 3/5, 2/5, or less means that your baby is engaged. Your midwife may also write "NE", "NEng" or "free" for "not engaged", or "E" or "Eng" for "engaged".
Ask your midwife or GP if they are telling you how many fifths are already in your pelvis or how many can still be felt out - 3/5ths out is, of course, 2/5ths in! When 3/5ths are down into your pelvis, then the widest part of the head has got in and the baby is said to be engaged.”
4/5ths palpable = sitting on the pelvis brim. 3/5ths palpable = lower but the majority of baby's head is still above the brim of your pelvis. 2/5ths palpable = most of baby's head is in the pelvis.
After a baby drops, or enters the engaged position, it can take two to four weeks before the process of labor begins. However, this length of time will differ between people. In some cases, a baby might not engage until right before labor.
Contrary to what many people believe, symptoms of the baby's head being engaged, don't necessarily imply that labour will begin soon. “When the baby moves down into the pelvis, it means the body is preparing for labour but there is no way to tell how soon labour will begin. It may take one to two weeks.”
Your midwife records your baby's head engagement in measurements of fifths. If you read 5/5 or 4/5, this means that the head is not engaged yet. Notes of 3/5, 2/5 or less means your baby's head is engaged. That's because - at 3/5ths - the widest part of your baby's head is in your pelvis.
In the last weeks, some time before birth, the baby's head should move down into your pelvis. When your baby's head moves down like this, it's said to be "engaged". When this happens, you may notice your bump seems to move down a little. Sometimes the head does not engage until labour starts.
Using the rule of fifths, the distance between the base and vertex of the fetal head is divided into five equal parts. Each fifth corresponding to 2 cm or approximately one transverse fingerbreadth. If the fetal head accommodates two fingerbreadths above the pelvic brim, it is said to be engaged.
Getting up and moving around may help speed dilation by increasing blood flow. Walking around the room, doing simple movements in bed or chair, or even changing positions may encourage dilation. This is because the weight of the baby applies pressure to the cervix.
It's as if you can almost feel the head between your legs. Don't be concerned, it's good your baby's head has engaged. Then you know that baby will be born head first. If your baby is not in the right position, the midwife or doctor will probably try and turn your baby this week.
Active Labor
This phase typically lasts from three to five hours and continues from the time your cervix is 3 cm until it is dilated to 7 cm. True labor produces signs you don't want to ignore. Your contractions will last about 45 seconds to a minute and allow you only three to five minutes in between.
Yes definitely possible with DC2. MW told me that baby can be engaged then pop out again as everything is 'looser' in pelvis having given birth before. DD2 was 3/5 engaged at 37w but still managed to go 8 days overdue, 11 with DD1.
They do move less once they are engaged (I'm 39 weeks now), but if you are at all unsure, just nip up the maternity monitoring unit and you can sit and listen to the heartbeat, which is very comforting.
In week 37 of pregnancy, your baby will usually engage. This means their head will move down into your pelvis ready for the birth, although it doesn't mean birth is imminent. In this position they have more room and you should feel the difference as there's less pressure on your diaphragm, ribs and stomach.
Figure 11.5 Press firmly with your fingers just above the pubic bone to see if you can feel the baby's head. 3 If the shape is not clearly round, it may be the baby's face or the baby's bottom that you can feel. Or sometimes the baby's bottom is up, but the head is not straight down (Figure 11.6a and b).
If baby is not yet engaged before labor begins, they may need strong contractions to help them rotate, descend, and stay in their optimal position! Baby's first movement into the pelvis includes tucking their head underneath the sacral promontory (junction of the sacrum and the lumbar spine).
Fetal engagement is when the widest part of the baby's presenting part (usually the head) enters the pelvic brim or inlet. A first baby often engages two weeks before birth, 38-39 weeks gestation. Engagement may happen in labor.
Most babies' heads 'engage' at this stage. Some don't for a few more weeks, and some don't until labour starts.
Engagement. Engagement of the fetal head is measured in fifths, which is the amount of fetal head palpated above the brim of the pelvis. 5/5 The fetal head is five-fifths palpable; that is, the whole head can be palpated above the brim of the pelvis.