• 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.
