Fully engaged and ready to go « Back to Group Discussions

[FeralFox]

Already, at 30 weeks. *sigh*  Anyone else engaged/dropped early?  I feel like she's going to fall out.  It's nice to be able to eat again, at least.  For the past month I've only been about to have little snacks, because a full meal was way too much food and made me miserable.

[LilyTiger]

What does it feel like when they are engaged?  I'm not, though the baby did move its foot out of my rib last week, which made eating and so on much more comfortable.  Is it the sort of thing you know it when it's happened?

[FeralFox]

I think it is one of those things you just know when it happens.  To me, it feels like I have a little medicine ball hanging between my legs.  I can feel her head pressing down and out, which makes my hips feels stretched out and isn't very comfortable.  Also I can breathe better, and eat without getting a lot of heartburn and discomfort.  My belly is visibly lower too.

[LeAnn A Doula]

This LO definitely dropped a bit around 28wks but I don't think we've officially 'dropped' or engaged. Although I'm not sure how much lower we can go without just coming out! I feel movement low, just above my pubic bone and lots of little pushes on my cervix. I'm definitely not walking around LO's head yet though, thank goodness! That doesn't typically happen until 36 wks or so, esp w the first and sometimes not until labor begins.

[LilyTiger]

I definitely felt a little drop recently when the kid's foot came out of my ribs and I was really surprised at how low the head was when my doctor felt it.  But the butt is still pretty high and the little kicks are still way above belly button.

Your description of the medicine ball is pretty funny, Feral Fox.  Another woman on the Bajingo thread described it as walking around with a bowling ball between your legs.  So I guess I'll wait for that feeling, since it seems to be somewhat consistently described that way!

[Veritas Vitae]

Q has been really low the whole time, I definitely can feel her movements down low and what I guess is her pushing up against the cervix...I tried to describe it to B but he was just confused.  My midwife was surprised by how low she was when she was getting measurements as well.  Every once in a while she'll stick a leg under my rib, but I think it is just because she is bigger now, and is trying to maximize the space in there. I don't know if she is engaged or not, as she has just always been really low.  I know a couple of times she came up higher, about to mid-abdomen, and I thought something was wrong because I've never felt her up that high before...she wasn't even up to my ribs.

[sallyrae17]

I am nowhere near "engaged and ready to go." :) The kid is still up high and in my ribs. I feel a lot of fingers down low and by my cervix (like a cervix punch at times), but I'm definitely not feeling the bowling ball sensation. I never felt that with my previous pregnancy either, so I wonder if it will happen this time before labor.

[NewMumJoy]

I think I'm still waiting for that "dropping" to happen and am eager to see what status my doc gives this week.  Monday I woke up feeling like he had moved really low - there was so much pressure on my cervix that it felt like he would fall out when I walked.  But he's shifted again and I'm more comfortable now - athough I'm definately waddling!  Still feeling his feet right up under my boobs....

[ithappened]

With DS he never engaged until I was in labor.. was hoping the twins at least would drop.

[KristyDi]

Originally Posted by ithappened 

With DS he never engaged until I was in labor.. was hoping the twins at least would drop.

Same with DD.  In fact she didn't engage until I had been in labor for 12 hours. The everything happened in a rush, she dropped and I dilated from 3cm to 10cm then she was born all in just over an hour.

 This one is till way up high.  I feel like I can't easily get a good deep breath and can't eat very much at once or I have awful heartburn/reflux. 

[poppylove]

Originally Posted by sallyrae17 

I am nowhere near "engaged and ready to go." The kid is still up high and in my ribs. I feel a lot of fingers down low and by my cervix (like a cervix punch at times), but I'm definitely not feeling the bowling ball sensation.

Me too! Although I am ansy for baby to drop, I am not looking forward to the literal hundred trips to the bathroom a night. So for now, I will try & be content with my ribby baby. Ouch, cervical punches hurt!

[Thandiwe]

Baby boy dropped here last week!  I can tell, because I had a series of really painful pressury aches, and then the next day when it was all over and the calm hit, everything was lower and smaller.  My babies tend to drop/engage by about 30 weeks, so right on schedule.  I'm getting lots of twinges in my cervix and zings in the cervix, which is a constant reminder that the weeks are ticking by!
 

ETA: Another great way to check if baby is engaged and nice and low.  Wash your hands thoroughly, then sit on the toilet and prepare to do the start of a cervical check.  As you head towards the cervix, you should be able to feel a round mass: that's baby's head.  The lower/more level with the ischial spines, the more engaged baby is.  If baby is level with the ischial spines, then baby is at zero station and fully engaged. :)  It's incredible to feel their heads right there!

Here's a link with more info.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002060.htm

Edited by Thandiwe - 6/18/12 at 9:32pm

[iixivboots]

Originally Posted by Thandiwe 

ETA: Another great way to check if baby is engaged and nice and low.  Wash your hands thoroughly, then sit on the toilet and prepare to do the start of a cervical check.  As you head towards the cervix, you should be able to feel a round mass: that's baby's head.  The lower/more level with the ischial spines, the more engaged baby is.  If baby is level with the ischial spines, then baby is at zero station and fully engaged. :)  It's incredible to feel their heads right there!

great info!