Patient's question:
I am 36 weeks pregnant and the baby has already engaged during the check-up. What is the meaning of engagement? How long after engagement can I expect to give birth?Doctor's answer:
Generally, for first-time mothers, delivery can occur 2 to 3 weeks after the baby engages. For women who have given birth before, delivery often begins immediately after the baby engages. Whether the baby has already engaged needs to be determined through prenatal examinations.Among pregnancy symptoms, when the baby engages, many pregnant women often feel their abdomen tightening and a sensation of heaviness or dull pain, feeling as if the baby inside is moving downward. As a result, they may rush to the hospital in a hurry. In reality, this is not a true sign of labor. The main differences are first, contractions are short in duration, often lasting less than half a minute; second, contractions are irregular and relatively weak. Therefore, it is often referred to as "false labor."