what does it mean to be engaged

[proudparent88]

Can someone explain engagement to me i keep seeing this term in posts and feel so lost.

 

[hopeforamirac]

it means the head is deep in your cervix hun.. The mw or consultant may put numbers by it ie 1/5th ect that means how much of the baby's head can be felt. hope this helps

 

[proudparent88]

It does when does this usually happen and could this be why i get really sharp pains in my cervix?

 

[hopeforamirac]

if its not your first baby then they can pop in and out of the cervix as they please
the sharp cervix pains are normal unfortunetly its just the growing baby moving around as there isnt much room between head and cervix.

 

[proudparent88]

if its not your first baby then they can pop in and out of the cervix as they please
the sharp cervix pains are normal unfortunetly its just the growing baby moving around as there isnt much room between head and cervix.

Yea this is my third i felt stupid for not knowing some of the terms like engagement and things. Sometimes it feels as though he is trying to escape as the pain can go from my cervix into my vagina. Ouch.

 

[hopeforamirac]

yes it can be very painful. You are not stupid at all not knowing all the medical terms

 

[proudparent88]

I wish they would just simply say oh baby is here or there why usebsuch confusig terms and who in the world had so much spare time on their hands and was like oh we will use this to describe this and that lol

 

[Mummafrog]

Engagement is how far the presenting part of the baby (head/bum) has descended past the 'pelvic brim' and into the pelvic cavity.

With the note writing or what they tell you for example: If a doc/mw writes 3/5ths engaged it means they can only feel 2/5ths of baby's head by palpating/feeling your tummy. If the doc/mw writes 3/5ths palpable it means that they can feel 3/5ths of baby's head and therefore baby is 2/5ths engaged.

Engagement usually happens earlier with the first pregnancy because baby has less room, if it's not a lady's first then engagement might not happen until they go into labour because baby has more room! hehe

When the presenting part is engaged it rests on your cervix, which can be twingy and uncomfortable and cause pressure, yes, but a foot pushing down on the cervix can cause cervical pain too, so it doesn't necessarily mean baby is engaged if you're feeling cervical pain/pressure.

My info comes from experience as a student midwife. Hope it makes things clear and you're definitely not stupid for not knowing! It's all complicated medical jargon and you're right they should make it clear for everyone XX