Engagement

Engagement, also called lightening or dropping, is used in obstetrics to describe when the widest part of the fetal skull has descends or negotiated into the pelvic cavity. This means that the baby's head is now fixed at the mid plane of the pelvis.

In first-time mothers, this usually happens two to four weeks before delivery; babies of women who have already had children usually do not engage until labor begins. There is feeling of increased pressure in the lower part of the tummy. Breathing and eating may become easier as the stomach is less stretched. However, walking may become increasingly uncomfortable. Some mothers may feels as if the baby is going to fall out while others may feel as if she needs to pass urine all the time.

If the baby does engage, this does not mean that labor is about to begin: it may take a few days or weeks to begin. Conversely, if the baby's head is not engaged, labor may begin the next day.