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Lightening is a sign that your baby is gearing up for labor soon and is usually in the head-down position, though it sometimes can be the feet or bottom dropping into the pelvis (breech position) or, rarely, other parts of the body.
Still, lightening is one of many changes that may signal upcoming labor. Other changes include loss of the mucus plug, rupture of membranes (water breaking), and contractions. You may or may not have these changes before your labor starts, but each is a possible sign.
Lightening: You can breathe again! This is an indication that the baby has dropped, settling deeper into your pelvis and relieving some of the pressure on your diaphragm which helps you to not be so short of breath. You may feel increased pressure on your bladder, however, meaning more trips to the bathroom.
For most of your pregnancy, baby is high up in the uterus. But toward the end of the third trimester, baby begins to travel downward to move into an optimal position for birth. This process is referred to as lightening or baby dropping.
Lightening or engagement are the terms used to describe when the baby's head settles deep into the pelvis. This might cause a change in the shape of a pregnant person's belly, which may feel lighter with the baby lower in the pelvis.
Lightening occurs when the fetus’s head moves deeper into the pelvis to prepare for birth. The lower position means it’s not pressing on the diaphragm (a key muscle for breathing) and you may feel “lighter.” Lightening can happen from a few weeks to a few hours before labor begins.
Lightening is one of the major signs that labor is approaching. It happens when the baby’s head literally “drops” lower into your pelvis, becoming engaged within your pubic bones. This starts...