Home

For Patients/Families

Glossary of Terms

Lightening
Also called dropping because the abdomen changes shape as the baby appears to drop several inches. This occurs when the head of the baby drops into the pelvis. This happens at the end of pregnancy, usually between two or three weeks before labor. Lightening makes breathing easier, but increases pressure in the pelvis and on the bladder.
This is Children's Glossary of Medical Terms - and much more. You'll find the basic definitions and, for many medical subjects, a larger medical context written by an experienced Children's pediatrician. All the definitions are in an easy-to-print format.

Glossary Index

Search Glossary

Date Last Modified: 08/27/2003 07:29