Baby not engaged!

[GIZMOE]

Hello,

I am now 1 day over due with my first baby and she is yet to engage or even enter the pelvis.

The midwife said yesterday that she thinks they will only wait until next week for her to engage and if she doesn't then they will do a C-Section on Friday :eek:

Has anyone else been through this?? Why would they be jumping into a C-section frist???

CONFUSED!!!!

Amy

[mummycloud]

Hi Amy,
I know how frustrating it is waiting and waiting, but you aren't actually over due till 42 weeks gestation.
I don't know why your OB even mentioned a c-section because some babies heads don't engage till labour starts.
I would just wait and if it makes you feel better, have some monitoring done to see for youself that the baby is fine.
I know too many people who have had unescessary c-sections.

JANET...where are you, Amy needs some advice and STATS shown ;)

Pssttt..Amy, Janet is full of information on this subject. If she doesn't reply to this thread soon, I will PM her for you :)

[whatwasithinking]

Amy - so great to hear from you.

Don't know why they want to have c/section so badly but hopefully either way you will be holding that darling little bundle shortly.

:hugs:

[GIZMOE]

Hi Donna,

I just read your PM. Hope you have settled into Canberra OK. Yeah I am not sure what's going on. I think they are worried about that if my waters break the chord may come out first or something like that. But that is pretty rare and I am quite happy to wait and see what happens and at least try to birth naturally.

It's funny doing shared care with your doctor and lots of midwives you get told different things every appointment. It gets so fustrating!!!

I know I definately don't have a low placenta so they think my pelvis is small - but I don't feel that's a good enough reason for the C-section. I would rather try to labour first.

I am going to make this very clear to the Doc on Tuesday.

Amy

[whatwasithinking]

All through my first pregnancy I kept telling them I was too small and would have a c/section. No no they kept saying little asian women have babies naturally etc . Anyway I had an 18hr labour and ended up having a c/section cause yep they said I was too small. ggrrr all that pain for a result I knew what was going to happen anyway.

With second pregnancy though I wasn't allowed to even try to have natural birth. Oh well never mind.

I haven't really helped have I?? I've just blabbered about nothing really.:ecomcity: Oh I'm tired so best go and catch some sleep time.:sleeping:
Take care and let us know when bubs arrives - I only have your work email so if you want to email me you can just send me a pm.

:hugs:

[Kamaikia]

I wouldn't rush into the ceasarean - I had my last checkup on a wednesday - babies head wasn't engaged and the doctor was pretty sure I would be another 2 weeks. My waters broke on the friday baby born on the saturday. Its right that some won't engage until labout begins. Isn't the first step normally induction rather than a ceaser - make sure you question them.
And while I imagine it would be hard to have labour then a ceaser you need to take the chance of having a natural birth I think. A friend had over 30 hours of labour before the ceasarean and she wishes they had let her go longer just to see if it was possible. She is now frightened knowing that she will have to be cut open again - and the doctors have warned against more than 3 children and are refusing flat out to consider a natural birth. I thoguht she was exagerating but after reading about the risks of NBAC it does seem extremly dangerous.
Good luck I hope everything goes ok.

[Ladybird]

Hi there

I was due yesterday and my baby is also not engaged yet (it's also my first)... I have a very experienced obstetrician and he has said that babies often engage after you have gone into labour (even first ones) and will not consider doing a caesarian until I have attempted to deliver naturally. I said I didn't really want to labour for 30+ hours only to have a c-section anyway, and he said he would let me go for 6-8 hours before making a decision about a caesarian, which made me feel more comfortable.

I am quite a tall person with medium build and I asked him if he thought my pelvis was too small/the head too big and he doesn't seem to think that's an issue. The issue seems to be that althought the head is down, the baby is still in a slightly posterior position and needs to rotate slightly. He said that if he automatically did a caeser on every woman whose baby's head wasn't engaged prior to labour then the rate of caesarians would be even higher.

One way of trying to get bub to move around is to spend 20-30 minutes on all fours or in a semi 'downward dog' every day, to give it more room to move, so I've been trying that. Also because I was only due yesterday there is still time for everything to happen! So fingers crossed....

[KarniF00l]

hey.. i know excatly why they would jump to give you a c-section if the babies head doesnt engage.. simply because if you were to be induced and they break your waters it could be life threatening for your little baby. Sorry to scare you but the cord could be around the babies neck at the time. As soon as your waters have been broken the baby drops down. Ive been induced twice.. and with both of them it was really intense. Anyway.. lottsa :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: Hope everything goes well!!!!

[Seekrit]

Maybe they're trying to scare bubs out! :p

:hugs: I hope all goes well with the best possible outcome for you and bubs! :hugs:

[biscotti]

Hi - my first baby didn't engage until labour so try not to worry and the best of luck :)

[Seekrit]

in your circumstance I'm sure that the doctors would have made the best possible decision, Kristy. Not everyone's experiences and medical need is the same

[TracieP]

Have had 5 kids & 1 more due in about 3 weeks only my first was engaged when I went into labour, the second wasn't engaged 5 minutes before he was delivered, so don't worry

[JodieC]

My first 2 babies didnt engage til i was in labour and i was induced with my second and was only in labour 3.5 hours. My third was ingaged at 33 weeks so i thought he would be early, but no he was overdue too

[ButterflyKisses]

hey.. i know excatly why they would jump to give you a c-section if the babies head doesnt engage.. simply because if you were to be induced and they break your waters it could be life threatening for your little baby. Sorry to scare you but the cord could be around the babies neck at the time. As soon as your waters have been broken the baby drops down. Ive been induced twice.. and with both of them it was really intense. Anyway.. lottsa :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: Hope everything goes well!!!!This happened to me bar the cord bit.

I was a week overdue, baby was still not engaged, my hips are also narrow. My OB booked me into hospital and said that I was either going to give birth naturally or via c-section on that day. I arrived at 7am, they monitored bubs heart rate, put me on a drip to induce me, my OB broke my waters, I was on the drip for 2 hours and then bubs heart rate dropped to 90. My OB said bubs was getting too stressed out and that he'd by doing a c-section to get him out. My gorgeous DS was born by 10.01am.

No complaints from me - I was just so glad it was over and done with and that my bubs was ok. I'm also so grateful that I didn't have to endure hours and hours of labour only to just have a c-section.

I hope it all goes well for you and I'm sure your OB will do whatever it takes to ensure both you and your bubs are ok.

[LittleBoysRock]

DS still hadnt enagaged at my 40 week appointment which made me feel miserable cos I felt like I was squeezing a watermelon between my legs when I was walking by that point.

He didnt engage at all, when I went into labour he was still up really high. I just had to push him a really long way. I had a big baby too so I dont know if that makes a difference either.

Best of luck with your labour, I am sure everything will be fine. :thumbsup:

[JanetF]

Like so many have said, babies engage with they engage. Induction for no medical reason and with a baby who hasn't engaged is dangerous. Induction is dangerous anyway so without a really compelling medical reason it should not be done. You risk babies going into distress from the stress and chemicals and it puts you at risk of cord prolapse from having no plug from the baby's head if your membranes are ruptured. Going straight to a caesarean for a baby and mother with no health problems and who's not even postdates is criminally reprehensible. Term is 38-42 weeks so babies can come any time within that and when allowed to birth to their own timetable, 70-80% come in the 41-42 week mark. If only 5% of babies come at 40 weeks, why does everyone get so het up about hitting the 40 week mark? There is no magical health problem called "10 days overdue" but there are many health problems resulting from induction at 41+3.
Babies know how and when to be born, and no one can predict when they're going to be ready. They engage when they're ready and sometimes that's weeks ahead and sometimes it's during labour. It's so unimportant!

[LittleBoysRock]

They engage when they're ready and sometimes that's weeks ahead and sometimes it's during labour. It's so unimportant!

Despite this I understand why you would be concerned, I know I was when I heard DS hadnt engaged. I felt like my body wasnt doing what it is supposed too.

Just wanted to let you know that were are all here to support you not make you feel silly for asking a perfectly valid question.

Goodluck with the labour! I am sure you will do great :smiliedance:

[Kaileysmum]

Hi

My bub didnt engage and I went 9 days over, she still hadnt engaged I went into labour naturally. But I had a labour of 36 hours and emerg c-section as she went to the engaged position after 3 hours of pushing, but didnt go any further.

My Ob said to my before hand that bub's engage in labour sometimes and not to worry. But then after my laboour and c-section, the other OB on duty at hospital said I should of had a elective c-section.

Saying all that everyone is different, if you want to try labour first do so, even if it ends up with c-section, at least you tryed. As maybe yoour baby will engage in labour and you'll have a quick delievery.

All the best, dont let your OB tell you want to do, you make the decision as its you body and baby, do what you think is right for you!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!!:hugs:

[becca74]

Everyone has different levels of coping with surgery, and I personally would rather go into labour before a c/section than have an elective. I guess I dont cope with the gorey side of surgery, it freaks me out, and even though I've had 2 emergency c/sections, I would prefer to have the labour before the c/section as the contrasting relief from the contractions I had when they administered the painkillers made the c/section experience a bit more palatable.

But if I can have my way, I will get this baby out the way my body is designed to evacuate it.....

I'd say just wait....

I read in one book "the natural way to better birth and bonding" by F Naish and J Roberts that when our baby is due is more connected to the moon months than the sun months, and on top of that it is connected to how frequently/infrequently you menstruate. If you had a longer menstrual cycle than normal, chances are your baby also has a longer cycle of maturation in your womb..... I know my cycle is like clockwork, and I have given birth once on my due date and another time a day after my due date (tho he was conceived in the UK and born in Australia, so really he was born on his due date!) My other one came *precisely* a month early.

There are many stories of women who have been considered overdue, and then lo and behold their baby is rushed to special care because it hasnt developed enough to breath on it's own......it's called iatrogenic prematurity, and this can happen when babies are born by elective c/section/induction even up to 2 weeks past a supposed 'due date'.

[becca74]

there is an article about due dates and iatrogenic prematurity here:

http://transitiontoparenthood.com/ttp/birthed/duedatespaper.htm

So really, dont worry, your baby will come when it is ready.....

[Callumsmum]

My baby wasn't engaged at full term and I was booked to be induced 10 days after due date. But the day after due date my waters broke. I went into hospital and bubs was still not engaged! :eek: The OB found that the membranes hadn't ruptured properly so did so manually. I then flooded the place! :o The OB thought that that may have been why bubs was not engaged - he was floating around in a sea of amniotic fluid!

I was induced the next morning and delivered 3 hours later!

Good luck with it all. In my opinion, while it ain't easy, it's nothing compared to morning sickness and the endless aches and pains of pregnancy.

Katrina