Engagement

This term in obstetrics refers to the sensation that a pregnant woman feels when the baby drops. This is the time when the presenting (the lowermost) part of the fetus descends and is engaged in the mother's pelvis. Engagement is also called "lightening" because the pregnant woman feels lighter after this event. Engagement (lightening) classically takes place 2 to 3 weeks before labor begins. However, it may not occur until labor starts, particularly in women who have already had two or more babies.

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In obstetrics, the mechanism by which the biparietal diameter of the fetal head enters the plane of the inlet.

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en·gage·ment in-'gāj-mənt n the phase of parturition in which the fetal head passes into the cavity of the true pelvis

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n.

(in obstetrics) the stage of pregnancy that occurs when the presenting part of the fetus has descended into the mother's pelvis. Engagement of the fetal head occurs when the widest part has passed through the pelvic inlet.

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en·gage·ment (en-gājґmənt) in obstetrics, the entrance of the fetal head, or presenting part, into the superior pelvic aperture and beginning descent through the pelvic canal so that its biparietal plane is below the plane of the pelvic inlet.