1/5 Engaged What does this mean??

[jojo182]

I am a student midwife. 1/5 means your baby is 1/5th engaged into the pelvis so has 4/5ths to go. They dont tend to get much lower than 3/5ths engaged usually though. Some doctors and midwives do write it the other way around, so always ask how many 5ths engaged they are xx

In my green notes it says as explanation:

'Engagement is how deep the presenting part - e.g. the baby's head - is below the brim of the pelvis. It's measure by the proportion which can be still felt through the abdomen, in fifths; 5/5 = free; 4/5 = sitting on the pelvic brim; 3/5 = lower but most is still above the brim; 2/5 = engaged, as most is below the brim; and 1/5 or 0/5 = deeply engaged, as hardly still palpable from above.

So that's exactly the other way around as how you use it! It's so confusing !

I've seen this in my notes too, but it was my GP i seen today, and when she had a feel of my belly she just said the head was done slightly more than last time ....she didnt say engaged or anything, i didnt think nothing off it 'til i got home and looked at my notes.
I don't feel like I have dropped loads, or have a bowling ball between my legs as others have described...its just all so confusing!

LOL.

 

[Lauki]

Same for me! She wrote down I'm 1/5th engaged. For 1 day I felt a real intense pressure down there, but now I feel fine again.

Can first time babies disengage again?

 

[XJessicaX]

lauki- thats the way my midwife measures me. I was 3/5 engaged last time I saw her, and since having shooting pains in my left leg and more pressure I am presuming baby is now engaged at 2/5.