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Pregnancy Terms
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Pregnancy Terms
The comprehension of pregnancy terminology is important to the health of you and your unborn child. The following list of pregnancy terms will help you better understand what your doctor is talking about when she discusses your pregnancy with you.
Some of the terms will be familiar, some you will have heard before but not know the meaning, and some you may never have heard prior to being pregnant.
M
Miscarriage – spontaneous
abortion, when a pregnancy ends on its own within
the first 20 weeks.
N
Non-stress test –
recording of the heartbeat and movement of the fetus
through the mother’s abdomen by a special
machine
O
Ovary – female organ that produces
the egg
Ovulate – to release
an egg from the ovary
Oxytocin – a hormone
that causes the uterus to contract
P
Placenta – organ
inside the uterus which transfers nutrients between
the mother and the fetus
Postpartum – after
giving birth
Postpartum hemorrhage – the loss of more than a pint of blood within
the first 24 hours after the baby is delivered
Pre-eclampsia –
a condition which causes high blood pressure and
protein leaks from the kidneys during pregnancy
Pregnancy - the period
of time between conception and birth
Pregnancy test - a blood
or urine test used to determine pregnancy
Pregnancy stages –
three stages of three months each called trimesters
Pregnancy ultrasound – a method of imaging the fetus and the female
pelvic organ during pregnancy
Premature birth –
a birth occurring earlier than 37 weeks
Prenatal care –
health care that a woman receives before her baby
is born.
Prenatal diagnosis –
the process of detecting and diagnosing fetal abnormalities
before birth.
S
Second trimester – the fetus is recognizable
but usually is not developed enough to be viable
if born.
SIDS – Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome – the unexpected and sudden
death of an apparently normal, healthy infant that
occurs during sleep.
Sonogram – a picture
which results from an ultrasound or ultrasonograph
test
Stillbirth – the
death of a baby after 24 weeks of pregnancy but
before birth.
Stress test – recording
of the fetal heartbeat and movement through the
mother’s abdomen during the stress of a contraction
Stretch marks –
streaking of the skin due to rapid expansion
T
Third trimester –
from 29 weeks until the baby is born
Toxoplasmosis –
infection with a parasite found in cat feces and
undercooked meat; can cause brain deformities in
the fetus
U
Ultrasound – a
process which measures and records special sound
waves reflected from body structures, such as the
uterus
Uterus – the womb,
the muscular organ in which the infant develops
before birth
W
“Water breaks” –
flow of amniotic fluid out of the vagina during
labor
A
Afterpains –
contractions of the uterus that happen the first
few days after birth
Amniotic fluid –
the liquid inside the amniotic sac which surrounds
the fetus
Amniotic sac – a thin-walled bag
that holds the fetus and amniotic fluid
B
Bloody show – light
bleeding from the vagina during labor, especially
at the end of the first stage
Braxton-Hicks contractions – irregular tightening of the uterus; false
labor
Breech position –
instead of a normal head-down position, the fetus
is in a head-up position with feet or buttocks ready
to emerge first
C
Cervix – the opening
to the uterus, located inside the vagina
Cesarean section (C-section) – a surgical procedure to deliver a baby through
an incision in the mother’s abdomen and uterus
Childbirth – the
emergence of a child from its mother’s uterus
Circumcision - a surgical
operation to remove the loose fold of skin covering
the tip of the penis
Colostrum – the
first milk, a clear yellowish fluid secreted by
the breast during pregnancy and the first few days
postpartum
Contraction – a
rhythmic tightening of the muscles in the uterus
which squeezes the fetus through the birth canal
D
Delivery – the
birth of a baby
Dilation – the
process of being expanded; getting larger or wider
Doppler machine –
a machine that picks up the heartbeat of a fetus
as early as 8 to 12 weeks of pregnancy
E
Ectopic pregnancy –
when the fertilized ovum is implanted in any tissue
other than the uterine wall
Effacement – a
change in the cervix during labor which shortens
and thins the walls of the cervix
Epidural anesthesia –
pain medication given in the spinal area
Episiotomy – a
surgical cut to enlarge the vagina and prevent tearing
of tissue during delivery
F
Fetal monitor - a machine
that allows tracking of the fetal heart rate and
the contractions of the uterus
Fetoscope – a special
stethoscope for hearing the fetal heartbeat through
the mother’s abdomen
Fetus – the unborn
baby from the 8th week after conception until birth
First trimester –
from conception to 12 weeks
K
Kegels exercise –
exercises done during pregnancy or postpartum to
strengthen the muscles used while giving birth.
L
Labor – the time
and process of giving birth
Latch on – a term
for the proper position and sucking of a baby at
the breast.
