Glossary of Terms in Pregnancy & Birth - Knowledge Area

Making the difference from the bottom up

A GLOSSARY OF TERMS

There are many different medical terms when it comes to pregnancy & giving birth.

Here is a list of meanings to some that you may come across:
(If you need more information about any of these terms, please speak with your midwife, GP or Health Visitor).

TERM	MEANING
Amniotic fluid/sac	The fluid & sac that the baby develops in inside the womb. The fluid is referred to when your "waters" break.
Analgesia	Painkiller
Anaesthetic	Numbs an area (local) of your body blocking pain signals to your brain so you can't feel anything. General anaesthetic knocks you out completely.
Anti-emetic	A medicine to stop vomiting (during morning sickness).
Apgar score	A system to check a newborn baby's general health, such as heartbeat, colour, breathing, muscle tone & general liveliness.
Areolas	The dark coloured skin around the nipple.
Birth canal	The passage from the womb to the outside world, through the vagina.
Braxton Hicks	"False" contractions you may feel, which is the body getting ready for real contractions.
Breech	When the baby is upside down in the womb, ie, bottom first not head first.
Catheter	A thin tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct or vessel, often into the bladder to remove urine (wee) during or after an operation or anaesthetic .
Cervix	The lower, narrow portion of the uterus (womb) connecting to the birth canal and vagina (ie, the entrance and exit to the womb). This dilates to 10 cm for the baby to be born.
Contraction	The tightening of muscles at the top of the uterus (womb) which pushes the baby down into position ready for birth. Sometimes referred to as a surge.
Dilated	To make larger or expand.
Embryo	The baby in the womb, up to 2 months after which it is then referred to as a foetus.
Engaged	When the baby has dropped down into your pelvis, ready to be born. (Or when you're getting married).
Episiotomy	A deliberate cut in the perineum (see below), an area of skin and muscle between the vagina and the anus.
Foetus (fetus)	The baby when inside the womb - referred to as an embryo up to 2 months, then a foetus after this.
Forceps	An instrument (looking a bit like large tongs) to help deliver your baby if assistance is required.
Haemorrhage	Heavy or uncontrollable bleeding from a ruptured blood vessel.
Induction	When a birth is overdue you may have assistance to get labour started (see Syntocinon).
Internal	When a midwife or doctor examines inside you, through the vagina, usually to check how far dilated your cervix is.
Intravenous drip	When a solution (medicine or blood) is slowly & continuously administered through a fine tube which is inserted into your vein, usually via the back of your hand or inside of your elbow.
Lanugo	The covering of fine, soft hair on the foetus and sometimes on the newborn baby.
Linea nigra	A dark line which may appear during later pregnancy, running from your tummy button down to the pubic bone, about a cm wide. It will disappear after birth.
Meconium	This is the baby's first excretion (it's not actually poo) and is waste that has been stored in it's intestine whilst in the womb. Black, sticky & tar like with no smell. Sometimes expelled before birth into the amniotic fluid.
Oxytocin	Normally released by the pituitary gland in the brain towards the end of pregnancy to stimulate the smooth muscle of the uterus (womb). The oxytocin causes the muscle of the uterus to contract during labour so that the baby can be pushed out.
PCA (Patient Controlled Analgesia)	When the patient is able to control their own pain relief.
Pelvic floor	The muscles which form a broad sling between your legs from the pubic bone in front to the base of your spine at the back, holding everything in. Important to do pelvic floor exercises to keep these muscles strong.
Perineum	The area of skin and muscle between the vagina and the anus.
Placenta	The sac-shaped organ that attaches the embryo or foetus to the uterus during pregnancy. Blood flows between mother & foetus through the placenta, supplying oxygen and nutrients & carrying away foetal waste products. The placenta is expelled after birth.
Placenta previa	A condition that occurs during the 2nd & 3rd trimesters of pregnancy, when the placenta is positioned at the base of the uterus, blocking all or part of the cervix. Bleeding may occur and a Caesarean section is likely.
Pre-eclampsia	High blood pressure and protein in urine when pregnant. A condition that can cause serious complications for both the mother & baby.
Show	The mucus plug at the entrance to the womb, which comes away and may be the first sign of labour .
Spinal cord	The thick column of nerve tissue that extends from the base of the brain about two thirds of the way down the backbone. The anaesthetic epidural is injected into the spinal cord.
Syntocinon	A drug containing a synthetic version of the naturally-occurring hormone oxytocin. Used to induce labour for medical reasons, or if labour has not started naturally.
Umbilical cord	The tube that connects the developing baby to the placenta's abdomen. Clamped and then cut after birth, the stump eventually dries and comes off (looking like a large raisin) and the tummy button is left behind.
Urethra	The tube connecting your bladder to the outside world.
Uterus	Medical term for womb.
Ventouse	or vacuum extractor. A cup on a small vacuum pump which may be attached to your baby's head if assistance is needed during delivery.
Vitamin K	An injection of Vitamin K will be given to your baby when newborn to assist in blood clotting. A very small number of newborn babies (about 1 in 10,000) suffers from vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) and they may suffer from serious internal bleeding.
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