What does 4/5 above brim mean ?

[enigma]

Hey everyone
Ive just noticed that the midwife wrote in my pregnancy file that the baby was 4/5 above brim.. what does this mean ?? she didnt mention anything

[Kellee]

I hope I'm not leading you up the garden path here, but my understanding of it is as follows...

The GP feels for bub's head and measures it in fifths. 4/5 above the brim means that bub's head is 4/5 above the pelvis and 1/5 below. Obviously, the more fifths below the closer you probably are to the birth. Having said that, I know that some women's babies don't properly 'engage' until they are in labour. Everyone is different.

I hope that's right! Please, anyone, feel free to correct me/elaborate on what I've said if I'm mistaken.

[chelleg]

100% right Kellee. We judge 1/5 to be approximately equal to 1 finger width and we are feeling how much of bubs head is above or below the pelvic brim. So like Kellee said, when we are feeling where baby is laying and we feel for the head, 4/5 above the brim means that we can feel 4/5 of bubs head. Definately a good thing

[mizzsocial]

i was reading my ob card, and mine says "fixed 3/5"

Is this the same meaning??

[chelleg]

Hey mizzsocial! 'Fixed' isn't a term we use at my hospital but i'm confident that 3/5 fixed means 3/5 of bubs head is palpable above the brim and therefore is engaged.

[mizzsocial]

Thanks Chelleg