Head down - Engaged

Head down - engaged, is this the same thing ?

Babe has been head down for a while BUT no one has said he's engaged.

TIA

~*~ Ess ~*~

#1 DD 10/27/1987
39+5 weeks
#2 DS 21/11/2003 EDD

(Yes, there will be 16yrs between babies)

"~*~ Ess ~*~" wrote in
message ...
Head down - engaged, is this the same thing ?

Babe has been head down for a while BUT no one has said he's engaged.

No, they aren't the same. Head down means just what it says--the baby's head
is pointing down. Engaged means that the baby's head has dropped in between
the pelvic bones. Engagement is measured by a series of numbers: -5 means
the baby is still floating and not engaged at all; -1 means the head is
touching the cervix and the baby is fully engaged. Working from there, 0
means the cervix is fully dilated and the head is passing through it and,
IIRC, +5 means the head is crowning.
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [20mo] mom)

This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop:
"Rejuvinate your skin." -- Hydroderm ad

Daddy: You're up with the chickens this morning.
Aurora: No, I'm up with my dolls!

All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful.
Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its
other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a
fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman

~*~ Ess ~*~ wrote:

Head down - engaged, is this the same thing ?


No. "Head down" means exactly what it sounds like.
"Engaged" means that the presenting part is well into
the pelvis.

Best wishes,
Ericka

"Elfanie" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 08:06:32 -0800, "Circe" wrote:
-1 means the head is
touching the cervix and the baby is fully engaged. Working from there, 0
means the cervix is fully dilated and the head is passing through it and,
IIRC, +5 means the head is crowning.


Actually....station (the -5. -1, 0, +5 numbers your talking about)
have nothing to do with cervical position or dilation. they are ONLY
in relation to the baby's head and the ischial spines (those"butt
bones" that you sit on..nor your tailbone, but the bony nubs that are
on either side, under your butt cheeks, that you sit on).

You can be 1cm dilated with baby at +2 station...
or you can be 9cm dilated with baby at -3 station.

(and in the States, it's generally on a scale of -4 to +4, with +4
being a baby that's crowned....although I do know some places go on a
-5 to +5 scale, it's just less common)

Okay, I believe you! I just remember either reading or having someone
explain it to me this way. Of course, I wasn't saying that engagement was
the same as dilation--it was just my understanding that a baby couldn't be
at, say, +2 station unless the cervix was fully dilated because the baby
couldn't be that far down the ischial spines *without* dilation. But I'm
perfectly willing to be wrong on that!
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [20mo] mom)

This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop:
"Rejuvinate your skin." -- Hydroderm ad

Daddy: You're up with the chickens this morning.
Aurora: No, I'm up with my dolls!

All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful.
Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its
other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a
fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman