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thread: Head engagement

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  1. #1
    BellyBelly Member
    Add ~*Niadalla*~ on Facebook

    Jan 2007
    VIC
    2,199

    Head engagement

    Hi!
    Was just wondering if anyone could explain, or point me in the right direction, of baby head engagement! hehe

    what does it mean for 5/5, 4/5, 3/5 etc.
    And what bearing do these numbers have on impending labour.. if any?

    Cheers

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Dec 2005
    In Bankworld with Barbara
    14,222

    5/5 Is fully engaged and it works on a sliding scale, so 2/5 is just above the brim I *think*. But it still gives no indicator of how long until labour starts, just that baby is engaged and ready to go.

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Nov 2004
    Giving the gift of life to a friend..
    4,264

    I been 5/5 since my 32wk appt & stil no action here!!!!!
    my 36wk appt it says 'FIXED'.

    Hmm, I reckon that means, it's fixed & not leaving anytime soon!!!!

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Feb 2005
    Mid North Coast NSW
    2,504

    I thought it was backwards? Like 2/5 means that there is 2/5 left still to engage, 4/5 still has 4/5 left to engage. Does that make sense? So you are most engaged when you are 1/5 engaged. I could be wrong though!! LOL

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Dec 2005
    In Bankworld with Barbara
    14,222

    Linda, some Dr's/obs do it that way too.

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Jul 2006
    6,869

    I thought 5/5 was all the way... not going back up....

    I hope Zyon doesnt keep u waiting to long Tracey....5/5 since 32 weeks is a long time!

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Nov 2004
    Giving the gift of life to a friend..
    4,264

    Yep I know it's like I have a boof head stuck in my.... Well you get the picture!!!

    Linda I asked & she said fully engaged & grabbed Zyons neck'(?) sorta thingy to show me... But I have heard it can be read opposite as well!!!

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Feb 2005
    Mid North Coast NSW
    2,504

    LOL at grabbing the neck Tracey! No worries, I stand corrected. Isn't it crazy that they do it both ways! You'd think they'd find a universal way to write it!

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Nov 2004
    Giving the gift of life to a friend..
    4,264

    Ha Ha Linda, women have been having babies since... Well forever & I have read so many varying Ob, Midwife opinions etc on here by all the various ladies & stages of preg, that I'd probably be knocked over with a feather if 2 ever agreed!!! LOL

  10. #10
    BellyBelly Member
    Add ~*Niadalla*~ on Facebook

    Jan 2007
    VIC
    2,199

    Thanks
    I have got 5/5 written on my card.. so I guess fully engaged it is... woohoo.
    I hope that this for me, means something is happening...although all these pains im getting might suggest that too...I HOPE!!!

  11. #11
    TeganRheana Guest

    It is actually the other way around. I asked my doctor this the other day as she wrote 4/5 on my card. She said the lower the number (5/5, 4/5, 3/5, 2/5, 1/5, 0/5) the more engaged the babies head is.Basically it is to do with the finger widths or cm's above the pelvis bubs head was.. So you count down and when you get to 1/5-0/5 you are pretty much fully engaged.

  12. #12
    Registered User

    Nov 2004
    Giving the gift of life to a friend..
    4,264

    Tegan, as above it depends onw hich way your Midwife/Ob etc use the measurements...

    Mine siad 5/5 fully engaged & fixed...

  13. #13
    Registered User

    Oct 2006
    Adelaide
    726

    At my last appointment I am apparently 5/5, meaning 5cm above fully engaged

  14. #14
    Registered User

    Nov 2006
    Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
    1,293

    Nicki, is your measurement by the midwives, or your ob?

    If it's the midwives they did 4/5 with a little arrow pointing up for me, so check if you've got any arrows seeing as they are the same midwives. and I know my little bugger definetly wasn't engaged much at that appointment. I have an appointment tomorrow, so I'll try to remember to check with them, what i am and what it means.
    It should have changed for me as I have felt a lot more pressure over the last 2 weeks, but I still don't feel like he's descending!!

  15. #15
    BellyBelly Member
    Add ~*Niadalla*~ on Facebook

    Jan 2007
    VIC
    2,199

    Yeah no arrows, but it was done by a registrar.... so not sure.
    I too have an appt tomorrow...... hehe

    I will def be asking then!

    This mystery WILL be solved in 24 hours!! hehe

  16. #16
    Registered User

    Feb 2005
    Mid North Coast NSW
    2,504

    Oh yeah, my OB put a little arrow next to mine too. So maybe some of the ones who do it 'backwards' use the arrow to clarify?

  17. #17
    Registered User

    Oct 2006
    in my teeny tiny house
    483

    when my midwife did mine she said that a fifth equals a finger... so say you lay a finger along the top of your pubic bone... horizontally along your nickers line... thats 1/5 engaged , meaning bubs head would be just poking out of your pelvis...
    therefore- 0/5 engaged you would be able to feel no head when you put that finger along the top of your pubic bone as bubs head would be in your pelvis(and you would more than likely have a sexy waddle going on) and 5/5 engaged means you can line up all your fingers along your pubic bone as bubs head is still up there...
    did that make sense???
    so with 4/5 and an arrow going up the page, the arrow means 4/5 of the head are not in the pelvis, 4/5 not engaged, 1/5 engaged.

  18. #18
    Registered User

    Nov 2004
    Giving the gift of life to a friend..
    4,264

    Just had my midwife appt & a different moidiwfe whom said defiantely Zyon is & has been fully engaged as thats'the way they measure!

    So as I said above, they all have their own ways of doing it, berst to ask your particular caregiver to ask which way they do it! On top of that he has move from his posterior position into a much bettyer position... WOOO HOOO!

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