The list of terms pertains to pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Most of these terms are found in this booklet. Others may come up in further reading or discussions with your doctor.
Afterbirth: Placenta and membranes that are expelled after the birth of the child.
Afterbirth Pains: Uterine cramps due to contraction of the uterus, occurring during the first few days after childbirth. Usually the pain is more severe during nursing, but rarely lasts longer than 48 hours after your baby is delivered.
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP): A protein produced by a growing fetus; it is present in amniotic fluid and, in small amounts, in the mother’s blood.
Amniocentesis: A procedure in which a small amount of amniotic fluid is taken from the sac surrounding the fetus and tested to detect genetic disorders or maternal-fetal blood incompatibility.
Amniotic Fluid: The liquid contained in the amnion. This fluid is transparent and almost colorless. The liquid protects the fetus from injury, and helps maintain an even temperature.
Amniotic Sac: Known as the amnion; a thin transparent sac that holds the fetus suspended in amniotic fluid.
Antibody: A protein produced in the blood as reaction to foreign substances in the blood.
Apgar Score: A system of scoring infant’s physical condition one minute and five minutes after birth. The heart rate, respiration, muscle tone, response to stimuli, and color are rated 0, 1 or 2. The maximum score is 10.
Areola: Circular dark area surrounding the nipple.
Arterioles: Small arteries that can become larger and smaller, lowering and increasing the blood pressure.
Axillary Temperature: Body temperature checked by using a thermometer under the armpit.
Blood Pressure: The force of the blood against the wall of the arteries.
Braxton Hicks Contractions: Uterine contractions which occur at various times during pregnancy. They are random, usually are not painful, do not increase in frequency, and do not dilate the cervix. They are not true labor contractions.
Breech Presentation (Position): A situation in which a fetus is positioned to be born buttocks or feet first.
Caesarean Birth (C-Section): Delivery of a baby through an incision made in the mother’s abdomen and uterus.
Cervix: The opening to the uterus.
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS): A procedure to test for genetic fetal defects. CVS can be done earlier than amniocentesis – usually between 9 and 11 weeks of pregnancy.
Circumcision: Surgical removal of the end of the foreskin of the penis. Circumcision is usually performed at the request of the parents. There are very few medical indications for this procedure.
Cleft Palate: An abnormality resulting from failure of facial processes of the embryo to fuse, which results in the roof of the mouth forming an opening between the mouth and nasal cavities.
Colostrum: A thin white fluid discharged from the breasts at the beginning of milk production, usually noticeable during the last few weeks of pregnancy.
Contraction: A shortening or tightening of uterine muscles where the sensation is felt in the abdomen, back, or both.
Contraction Stress Test: Used to test the condition of the fetus. Mild contractions of the mother’s uterus are induced and the fetal heart rate is recorded in response to the contractions.
Doppler: A form of ultrasound that reflects motion such as the fetal heartbeat in audible signals.
Down’s Syndrome: A genetic disorder causing moderate to severe mental retardation and physical abnormalities. Women at high risk of giving birth to a child with Down’s Syndrome are those over 35, or those who have had a previous child with the syndrome.
Eclampsia: Another name for seizures during pregnancy that occur because of high blood pressure.
Ectopic pregnancy: Pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus, most often in the fallopian tubes.
Edema: Swelling.
Effacement: During the normal process of delivery, the dilation of the cervix, enlarging the cross-section area of the canal to permit passage of the fetus. (Softening of the pelvis).
Electronic Fetal Monitoring: A method in which electronic instruments are used to record the heartbeat of the fetus and contractions of the mother’s uterus.
Embryo: Stage in prenatal development between the ovum and the fetus. Between the 2 nd and 8 th week.
Endometriosis: A condition in which tissue that looks and acts like the tissue lining the uterus grows outside the uterus.
Epidural: A form of anesthesia used during labor. It is given via a narrow catheter threaded through a needle inserted into the space immediately around the spinal cord.
Episiotomy: An incision between the vagina and rectum made during childbirth to widen the vaginal opening.
Estradiol Level Test: A test used in infertility treatment to determine estrogen levels in the blood. This can help determine when ovulation occurs.
External Version: A technique performed late in pregnancy in which the doctor manually attempts to move a breech baby into the normal, head down position.
False Labor: During the final weeks or days of pregnancy, many women experience the contractions of false labor. These contractions are considered false labor because they do not become more frequent and they are not accompanied by dilation of the cervix or descent of the fetus.
Fetal Distress: Problems with the baby which occur before birth that endanger the baby and require immediate delivery.
Fetoscope: An optical device, usually flexible and made of fiberoptic materials, used to view the fetus in the uterus.
Fetus: The child in utero from the third month to birth. Prior to that time it is called an embryo.
Forceps: Special instruments placed around the baby’s head to help guide it out of the birth canal during delivery.
Fontanelle: A soft spot lying between the cranial bones of the skull of a fetus.
Gestational Diabetes: A disorder occurring only during pregnancy resulting from inadequate production or utilization of insulin. It can be controlled by diet and/or may require insulin injections. It is estimated to occur in about 3% of pregnancies and usually disappears after delivery.
Glucose: A sugar. In medicine, the word is used to indicate the sugar dextrose. Glucose is the most important carbohydrate in body metabolism.
Glucose Screening: A blood test given, ideally between the 24 th and 28 th week of pregnancy, identifying persons who should have a 3-hour glucose tolerance test to rule out gestational diabetes.
Hemophilia: A hereditary blood disease in which the blood fails to clot and abnormal bleeding occurs.
High-Risk Pregnancy: A pregnancy with complications that need special medical attention. Examples include: previous C-section, advanced maternal age, history of miscarriages, uterine abnormalities, and smoking during pregnancy. Your doctor will determine if you have any of these risk factors.
Induced Labor: Labor that is started or speeded up through the intervention of a doctor, usually by using a drug.
Kegel: An exercise for strengthening the pubococcygeal and levator ani muscles. Strengthening these muscles aids in childbirth, controlling urinary incontinence, and may enhance the pleasure derived from sexual intercourse.
Lactation: The function of secreting milk.
Lanugo (Down): Fine soft hair covering the skin of the newborn.
Laparoscopy: An operation in which the organs inside the lower abdomen can be viewed through a lighted telescope.
Lightening: Descent of the presenting part of the fetus into the pelvis. This often occurs two to three weeks prior to the beginning of the first stage of labor.
Linea Nigra: Dark line from the pubic bone to the navel.
Lochia: Vaginal discharge after delivery.
Maternal Serum Alpha-fetoprotein (MASAFP Screening): Test of the amniotic fluid level used to evaluate fetal development.
Membrane: A thin, soft, pliable layer of tissue that lines a tube or cavity, covers an organ or structure, or separates one part from another.
Midline Incision: A vertical incision made from the navel to the pubic bone for Caesarean birth.
Miscarriage: Spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the fetus can survive outside the uterus.
Natural Childbirth: Childbirth where breathing, relaxation, and massage techniques are used in place of medication.
Neural Tube Defects: Fetal birth defects that result from improper development of the brain or spinal cord.
Non-Stress Test (NST): A test in which fetal movements felt by the mother or noted by the doctor are recorded, along with changes in fetal heart rate.
Obstetrician: A physician who treats women during pregnancy, labor, and delivers the infant.
Ovulation: The monthly release of an egg from one of the ovaries.
Perineum: The area between the vagina and the rectum.
Placenta (afterbirth): Tissue connecting mother and fetus that brings nourishment and takes away waste.
Pediatrician: A physician who specializes in pediatrics; the care of infants and children and the treatment of their diseases.
Placenta Previa: A condition in which the placenta lies very low in the uterus, so that the opening of the uterus is partially or completely covered.
Preeclampsia: A condition of pregnancy in which there is high blood pressure, swelling due to fluid retention, and abnormal kidney function.
Premature: A baby born before 37 weeks.
Prenatal: Existing or taking place before birth.
Prenatal Care: Program of care for a pregnant woman before the birth of her baby.
Postpartum: Occurring in the period shortly after childbirth.
Rh Immune Globulin (RhIG): A drug that suppresses an Rh negative person’s antibody response to Rh positive blood cells.
Rhogam Injection: RhoGAM is a trade name for Rho (D) immune globulin.
Round Ligament: Two round cord-like structures passing from the front of the body of the uterus into the anterior wall of the broad ligament, below the fallopian tubes, outward through the inguinal canals to the soft tissues of the labia majora.
Rubella: An acute infectious disease resembling both scarlet fever and measles (German Measles.)
Show: Blood-tinged mucous-like discharge.
Sickle Cell Disease: A hereditary chronic form of anemia in which abnormal sickle or crescent-shape blood cells are present. This is mostly found in the African-American population.
Sonographer: A technologist trained in the application of ultrasound for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Tay Sachs disease: An inherited disease transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait mostly found in the Ashkenazi-Jewish population of Eastern Europe .
Toxoplasmosis: A disease caused by an organism found in raw and rare meat, garden soil, and cat feces. The disease, which is generally not harmful to adults, can cause injury to the fetus and the placenta.
Transverse Position: When the fetus is positioned crosswise in the uterus.
Trimester: Each three-month period of pregnancy. Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters of equal length.
Tubal Occlusion: Blockage of the fallopian tubes.
Ultrasound: A test in which sound waves are used to examine the fetus or view the internal organs.
Varicose veins: Enlarged twisted superficial veins. May occur in almost any part of the body, but are mostly commonly observed in the legs.
Vacuum Extraction: The use of a special instrument that attaches to the baby’s head and helps guide it out of the birth canal during delivery.
Vernix: Creamy white covering over the skin of the baby.
Vertex Presentation: A position normally assumed by a fetus before labor and delivery in which the head is positioned down, at the top of the birth canal, ready to be delivered first.
Urinalysis: A specimen of urine used for testing purposes.
Uterus: An organ of the female reproductive system for containing and nourishing the embryo and fetus from the time the fertilized egg is implanted to the time for birth of the fetus.
