Pregnancy Terms and Definitions
A
After pains or afterbirth pains: contractions of the uterus that occur after your baby is born, as the uterus returns to its normal size. This may cause cramping for a few days, especially if this is not your first baby or if you are nursing.
Amniocentesis: the removal of a sample of amniotic fluid through a needle inserted through the mother’s abdominal wall; used for genetic and biochemical analysis of the baby.
Amniotic fluid: the liquid surrounding and protecting the baby within the amniotic sac throughout pregnancy.
Amniotic sac: the uterine membrane that contains the baby and the amniotic fluid.
Analgesic: medication that relieves or reduces pain.
Anesthesia: loss of feeling or awareness of pain. There are three ways of doing this using administration of various drugs: general, local, and epidural.
Anesthesiologist: a doctor who specializes in the use of anesthesia.
Anesthetist: a registered nurse who has special training in anesthesia administration.
Apgar score rating: a point system used to evaluate your baby’s health immediately after birth. The score can be zero to 10, based on appearance, color, pulse, reflexes, activity, and respiration.
B
Baby blues: a mild depression many women feel in the first few weeks after birth, also called postpartum blues.
Braxton-Hicks contractions: mild, usually painless contractions that occur during the entire pregnancy but are mostly felt from the 5th month on.
Breech birth: baby is born feet or buttocks first.
C
Cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD): baby’s head is too large for the mother’s pelvic bones.
Cervix: the lower and narrow end of the uterus that connects the uterus to the vagina; pap smears are taken from the cervix.
Cesarean section: delivery of the baby through an incision into the skin of the abdomen, the underlying tissues, and the uterus.
Circumcision: surgical removal of the foreskin of a baby’s penis. Discuss this decision with your healthcare provider during your pregnancy.
Chemical pregnancy: an early pregnancy loss that ends before the next period is due before any ultrasound findings. There are usually no pregnancy symptoms, but a blood test can reveal small amounts of the pregnancy hormone, HCG.
Chlamydia: a bacteria associated with various diseases of the eye and urogenital tract; may be transmitted by sexual contact. This is one of the most common infections passed from mother to baby; the baby may develop pneumonia (often a mild case) and eye infections.
Cord accident: any problem with the umbilical cord that causes distress or death of the baby (the cord is wrapped tightly around the baby’s neck, cord prolapse in which part of the umbilical cord presents before the baby at delivery, potentially causing the baby’s death because the cord becomes compressed between the baby and the mother’s pelvis, cutting off the baby’s oxygen supply, etc.).
D
Dilation (dilatation): stretching and widening of the cervical opening during labor.
Doula: a professional labor support person (coach) or helper during labor.
E
Ectopic pregnancy: a pregnancy occurring outside of the main cavity of the uterus, most often in a fallopian tube. Symptoms include spasmodic, crampy pain with tenderness starting on one side and often spreading throughout the abdomen; pain may worsen on straining of the bowels, coughing, or moving. Often, brown vaginal spotting or light bleeding, intermittent or continuous, may precede pain by several days or weeks. Sometimes, nausea and vomiting, dizziness or weakness, shoulder pain, and/or rectal pressure may be experienced. These symptoms should warrant immediate evaluation.
Effacement: thinning of the cervix during labor, measured in percent from 0 to 100.
Embryo: the developing baby from conception to the end of the second month. After that point, the baby is called a fetus.
Engagement: the point in labor when the baby’s head (or other part coming first) has settled down in the pelvis.
Engorgement: a temporary congestion of the fluid in the breast, which may occur 1-2 days after the birth or if too full of milk. It can cause pain, swelling, or breast tenderness. It usually can be relieved by pumping/feeding or warm compresses.
Episiotomy: cutting of the area between the vagina and the rectum near the end of the second stage of labor (pushing) to enlarge the opening. If an episiotomy is needed, it will be done just before the birth with your permission.
F
Fetal heart tones (FHT): the baby’s heartbeat. The normal rate ranges from 120-160 beats per minute.
Fetus: the baby from the end of the 8th week until birth.
Forceps: an instrument that assists with challenging births and guides the baby through the birth canal.
Fundus: the rounded top part of the uterus.
G
Gestation: the period of fetal development in the womb from implantation to birth.
Gravida: the number of pregnancies. Primigravida refers to a woman carrying her first pregnancy. Multipara or multip refers to a woman with at least one baby.
Gynecologist: a doctor who specializes in the diseases and the routine physical care of the reproductive system of women.
H
Hemorrhoids: painful swelling of blood vessels in the anus and lower rectum.
I
Induction of labor: the use of artificial methods to stimulate childbirth. It can be used to initiate labor or speed up labor that has already begun. It can be done for a medical indication but is generally considered safe for patients beyond 39 weeks if desired.
Infertility: the inability to reproduce naturally. Repeated pregnancy losses without a live birth may also be referred to as infertility.
IV (intravenous): method of giving a sterile fluid into a vein for nutrition, hydration, or medicine.
J
Jaundice: yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes due to an excess of bilirubin, standard in newborn babies on the 2nd or 3rd day after birth.
K
Kegel exercises: tending and relaxing pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy to improve muscle tone in preparation for labor. These exercises can also be used outside of pregnancy to help with other gynecological problems, such as incontinence.
L
Laparoscopy: a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia in which an optical instrument, the laparoscope, is inserted through a small incision in the abdominal wall, enabling the doctor to see the fallopian tubes, uterus, and ovaries directly.
Lochia: the discharge of blood, mucus, and tissue from the uterus after the birth of a baby.
M
Meconium: a baby’s first bowel movement, usually green-black and sticky.
Midwife: a person who assists women in uncomplicated childbirth.
Milla: small pimples or cysts common in newborns can appear on the face, chin, and cheeks.
Miscarriage: a lay term describing spontaneous loss of pregnancy before the middle of the second trimester (20 weeks). The medical term for miscarriage is “abortion,” and many doctors and technicians may use this term instead.
N
Neonatal: this refers to the first 28 days of a newborn’s life.
O
Obstetrician: a physician specializing in pregnancy and delivery.
Ovary: the female organs that produce sex hormones and ova (eggs).
Ovulation: the release of a mature, unfertilized egg from the ovary.
Oxytocin (pitocin): a hormone a pregnant woman usually produces that stimulates contractions and the ejection of milk from the breast. It is produced by the brain and is also given intravenously to induce labor.
P
Para: the term used to apply to the number of pregnancies a woman has that last after 20 weeks.
Pelvis: the group of bones at the base of the spine that form the hip joint and connect to the lower extremities.
Perinatal doctor/perinatologist: a doctor specializing in treating the baby and mother during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, particularly when the mother and/or baby are at a high risk for complications.
Perineum: the area between the vagina and the rectum.
Placenta: the vascular organ that supplies the baby with maternal blood and nutrients through the
umbilical cord.
Placenta abruption: the separation of the placenta from the uterus before the baby is born.
Placenta previa: a condition in which the placenta is located over the cervix, creating a risk of hemorrhage during labor and delivery. Such pregnancies can usually be delivered safely through cesarean section.
Postpartum: the 12 weeks following the birth of a child. During this time, a woman is recovering from having a baby, and a woman’s body is returning to its pre-pregnant state. It is also often referred to as the “fourth trimester.”
Postpartum depression: a prolonged period (present for at least 2 weeks) of sadness, mood swings, crying spells, and mixed feelings about motherhood that occur in the postpartum period and up to a year following delivery. Mild feelings such as these are common in new mothers, but if the feelings persist, talk with your healthcare provider.
Preeclampsia: development of hypertension (high blood pressure) with proteinuria (an excess of protein in the urine) or edema (an excessive amount of fluid in the tissues), or both, due to pregnancy or the influence of a recent pregnancy; it usually occurs after the 20th week of gestation. In some cases, preeclampsia may lead to more serious forms of the disease called eclampsia or HELLP syndrome.
Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH): elevated blood pressure caused by pregnancy.
Premature: a baby born before 37 weeks’ gestation.
Presentation: position of the baby before birth. When the baby’s head is directed toward the cervix, this is called cephalic or vertex. If the feet or buttocks are the presenting part, this is called breech. If the baby’s shoulder is towards the cervix, this is a transverse lie.
Preterm: labor that begins between the 20th and 37th weeks of pregnancy.
R
Reproductive endocrinologist: a specialist in OB/GYN that focuses on treating disorders related to infertility.
Rh factor: genetically determined antigens present in the red blood cells of most persons and capable of inducing intense immunologic reactions. Some women develop a sensitization to Rh during pregnancy. If a woman is Rh negative and her husband is Rh positive, she is a candidate for Rh incompatibility problems. After the first pregnancy, the Rh factor enters the Rh-negative mother’s circulatory system during the delivery (or miscarriage) of a child who has inherited the Rh factor from his father. The mother’s body then produces antibodies against it. If she becomes pregnant with another Rh-positive baby, the antibodies cross the placenta and attack the baby’s red blood cells, causing mild to serious anemia in the baby.
Rhogam: an immunization given to Rh-negative women after a miscarriage, stillbirth, or live birth to prevent the production of antibodies in any Rh-positive babies they may have in future pregnancies.
Rubella (German measles): a viral disease characterized by headache, fever, rash, and throat inflammation. Infection in a pregnant mother can cause birth defects in the baby. The risks are greater the earlier in the pregnancy that the mother contracts the illness.
S
Show: vaginal fluid made up of mucus and blood released before and during labor, commonly referred to as “bloody show.”
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome): abrupt and inexplicable death of an apparently healthy infant, usually less than one year of age. SIDS is also called crib death or cot death.
Sonogram (also called ultrasound): a visualization of internal organs achieved by bouncing soundwaves into a pregnant woman’s abdomen. A viability ultrasound is usually done to date a pregnancy in the first trimester. An anatomy ultrasound is used to evaluate the developing fetus for anomalies, placenta and maternal pelvic organs. Sonograms can detect a number of problems, but like all medical tests, they are not 100% perfect.
Spina bifida: an abnormality in the development of the spine that can cause severe neurological
impairment and paralysis.
Station: the descent of the baby into the pelvis.
Stillbirth: the death of a baby of at least 20 weeks’ gestation before delivery.
T
Toxemia: see “preeclampsia.”
Trimester: one of the 3-month periods into which a pregnancy is divided.
Tubal ligation (tying the tubes): permanent birth control that involves cutting or closing off the fallopian tubes to block sperm from reaching and fertilizing an egg.
U
Ultrasound: see “sonogram.”
Umbilical cord: the cord that connects a baby’s belly button to the placenta before the baby is born. This allows for an exchange of nutrients and oxygen from infant to mother.
Urethra: the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body.
Uterus/womb: the female reproductive organ that contains the developing baby.
V
Vagina (birth canal): the curved, elastic canal from the external opening of the female genitals to the uterus.
VBAC: vaginal birth after Cesarean section.
Vernix caseosa: a creamy, white substance covering a baby before birth. Fetal sebaceous glands produce it and it is useful for protecting the baby’s skin and regulating temperature.
Viable/viability: the ability of an infant to survive outside the womb
