He's Engaged!

No, no one is getting married. Just, my little Matty's head is finally engaged. Apparently, a babies head should engage in the pelvis at around 37 or 38 weeks but it can occur sooner. It appears my boy is right on time. Unfortunately, it means nothing regarding the start of labour. Some babies don't even engage until labour begins... too bad. I came right home from my doctors appoitment to research the meaning of an engaged head only to find it's not really a big deal. It does mean, however, that my pelvis isn't a funny shape.

The baby center (http://www.babycentre.co.uk) says there are some reasons for an un-engaged head:

• If you are very sporty and have well-toned abdominal muscles this may mean that your tummy is held in tighter, which changes the angle of the baby's body and presenting part to the pelvic brim. In this position it is harder for your baby to engage in the pelvis. To encourage your baby's head to engage you need to relax your tummy muscles and "dangle your belly" out at the front.

• If you spend a lot of time sitting down at work, in a car, or in soft easy chairs to watch TV, your baby is likely to be lying in a posterior position - that is with its back to your back. In this position it is harder for your baby to enter your pelvis. This baby position is not the best position for an efficient labour, partly because the presenting part remains high for so long. Take care to sit leaning forward whenever you sit down, with your knees below your hips, which will help your baby turn its back towards your front and to move down. A kneeling chair is ideal for this.

• If you have had several babies before, your tummy muscles may be loose, which makes it easy for the baby to move and change position a lot. Sometimes your baby may not lie up and down (longitudinal), but across your tummy (transverse) or at an angle (oblique). Positions like these make it less likely that your baby will engage in the pelvis before the start of labour.

• Your baby may be a large one, in which case it may not descend into the pelvis until contractions start.

• The shape of your pelvis may also be relevant. Sometimes the pelvic inlet is narrow. In these cases it may take a long time for the baby's presenting part to enter the pelvis, but once it is in, birth is usually rapid, because the pelvic outlet in these cases tends to be roomy.

An engaged baby really does feel different. It's harder to bend over (which was already interesting) and walking feels a bit odd and you really feel pulled down even more than before. Don't even mention the urges to pee... that much stronger.

Anyways, my daily prayer is that God would send Matthew into the world safely the very day I pray it if it is his will. It wasn't his will yesterday but maybe it will be today? :)