What is Engagement

• Before engagement, your baby has been floating in the sac above your pelvis
• Before engagement you would have had to eat smaller meals more frequently as your baby was occupying too much space; now you are able to handle larger portions
• In the final weeks of your pregnancy, as delivery approaches your baby will assume a position that brings it lower down into the pelvis. Most of the time it's the head down position, which is the right position for birth. Sometimes it can be feet down and that is termed as breech position.
• You will feel 'lighter' from now and suffer less heartburn; this change is also know as lightening of dropping as your baby drops into the pelvic cavity
• If this is your first pregnancy, your baby will engage about 2-4 weeks prior to labor
• If you have had a baby before, your baby will not engage until labor actually begins. This is because your uterus muscles have stretched beyond and so there will be less pressure on the baby
• You will know your baby has engaged when you feel less pressure on your diaphragm and breathing becomes much easier
• On the flip side you will now have to frequent the washroom more often as your baby will now be pressing harder on your bladder
• You would also find walking increasingly uncomfortable
• If your baby is very low you may feel lots of pressure in the vagina area which can be quite uncomfortable

There is no conclusive evidence to suggest that the tips below may help in settling your baby in the anterior position but it is worth a try:

• Sit with your knees lower than your hips whenever possible; a cushion at the back of your car seat of sofa will help to tilt you forward
• Walk around every half an hour if your job involves a lot of sitting
• Sit on a hard chair, sleep on a firm mattress
• Do lots of upright activities as this will help your baby settle in an anterior position
• Sit back on your haunches with a pillow under your knees to keep your pelvis sloping forward.