# What does 'brim' mean in your notes???



## third time

Now I'm really confused!!!!

Does anyone actually know what brim means?? I saw my MW write 4/5 engaged (not palpable, actually engaged) in her computer notes and on my notes she's written brim - what does it mean?

Have just read a post saying that brim means unengaged, but my MW told me she didn't think I'd last the week out, so surely that means it's gone further in and is practically fully engaged??? And my bump is definately, definately, definately lower today then last week!!!

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :shrug::shrug::shrug:


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## bekkie

The female pelvis is shaped like a bowl with the bottom cut off.

The top of the pelvis is called the brim and the bottom is called the outlet.

Towards the end of pregnancy the part of the baby which is born first (hopefully the head) settles into the pelvis. This is called engagement

Relation to brim describes how much of the head can be felt above the pelvis. It is usually measured in fifths.

5/5 means that no part of the head is in the pelvis. 4/5 means that the top part of the head is in the pelvis and so on.

By the time the head is 0/5 the baby is almost born at the end of labor.

If at the end of a first pregnancy the midwife or ob/gyn can still feel 5/5 of the baby's head it may mean that the baby is too large to be born naturally.

With second or later babies the head may not go into the pelvis until the mother goes into labor.

_stolen from yahoo answers lol_


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## third time

Thanks - MW said head was well in there so I presume that when she's written the word 'brim' in my notes, in the engaged part, means that baby's head is fully engaged, otherwise she would have tld me that it had moved out, I did mention that too as we were laughing that my sister's baby was in out in out like the hokeycokey!!!! I'm just stressing over nothing I think!!!


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## soootired

I have a book which talks about relation to brim either +5 to 0 then to -5
0 being brim and -+5 being either totally unengaged or head out.
I would say 4/5 engaged and brim means the babs is in the pelvis and just waiting to come out. You lucky girl


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## third time

Thank god for that - I've got myself really upset about it all!!!! It's ridiculous because baby will come when it's ready but the thought of everything going backwards is just about tipping me over the edge!!!


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## bekkie

haha totally understandable - I'm already stressing and I'm 11 weeks behind you!


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## third time

I just wish people would explain thigs more clearly - I asked how engaged I was and she said the head is well down there!!! Then she's written brim, I don;t know whether means that it's sitting on the brim or below the brim ARGHHH!!!


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## lorna84

at my last appointment my LO was at the brim MW said its where her head is just sitting on the pelvic :shrug:


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## third time

lorna84 said:


> at my last appointment my LO was at the brim MW said its where her head is just sitting on the pelvic :shrug:

Does that mean that LO is hardly engaged again?


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## lorna84

I wish the MW's would explain things better she told me baby was at the brim of the pelvic but wrote in my notes Free :wacko: my MW is alittle dizzy though :blush: so now Im confused lol


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## third time

That means my baby has come out 2/5's which I was told it wouldn't do, and why has the MW got my hopes up about when I'll deliver if the baby is free???

Damn, another night of no sleep!!!!


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## lorna84

I could be totally wrong as I said my MW is very dizzy so please dont take my word for it :blush:


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## Nix

Saw my midwife today and told her that I have been getting pains in my bits. When she felt she said baby was right done and wrote brim in my notes too. Not sure myself if saying baby right down means engaged. She said that baby's head position is why i am getting the pains which would kind of matvh up wouldnt it? How frustrating.x


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## third time

That's what I thought, I'm feeling so much pressure down there and keep getting shooting pains, but now when I've researched it, it says that 'brim' means not engaged!!!! 

How difficult is it for medical professional to realise that not everybody understands their lingo!!!


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## third time

Nix said:


> Saw my midwife today and told her that I have been getting pains in my bits. When she felt she said baby was right done and wrote brim in my notes too. Not sure myself if saying baby right down means engaged. She said that baby's head position is why i am getting the pains which would kind of matvh up wouldnt it? How frustrating.x

PS - when are you due??


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## third time

bump


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## rainbowzebra2

I got this in my notes too - I had previously been 3/5 a few weeks back - I am now overdue and hoping that this does not mean that bubs has gone back up!!


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## Nix

third time said:


> Nix said:
> 
> 
> Saw my midwife today and told her that I have been getting pains in my bits. When she felt she said baby was right done and wrote brim in my notes too. Not sure myself if saying baby right down means engaged. She said that baby's head position is why i am getting the pains which would kind of matvh up wouldnt it? How frustrating.x
> 
> PS - when are you due??Click to expand...

I'm 31 weeks tomorrow but not sure whats going on cos I have been measureing 7 weeks ahead since 26 weeks but other than a glucose tolerance test my normal midwife hasnt done anything. This midwife today was better and has booked me a scan for next thurs. I am measuring 4 cms ahead this time but she said that the drop in cms would be cos babies head is now so far down. I'm very confused but will just have to wait and see.


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## Tasha

It sounds as if you baby's head is a bit in. Has it been the same mw every time hun?


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## third time

This is the first time I've actually been angry about anything to do with medical staff in this pregnancy!!! I feel so f-ing angry with them, I've now got myself into such a state that I'm crying, even though I know I'll be induced in 13 days, which is NOT forever!! I just needed a good nights sleep and now I'm not going to get one!!!! :sad2:


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## third time

Tasha said:


> It sounds as if you baby's head is a bit in. Has it been the same mw every time hun?

Actually.....no it hasn't, it's been a different one, why? do you think different ones feel different things??


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## third time

Why can't I stop crying now, DH doesn't understand why I'm crying, tbh I don't think I really do!!!! :sad2:


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## Nix

aww hun. I guess its just normal pregnancy crying. Not much help I know. You are probably dissapointed and frustrated and its all built up. A good cry will hopefully help clear your mind. xx


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## third time

I know thanks hun!!!


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