Medical interventions
A written document describing a woman’s preferences for her care
during labor and birth
birth plan
Nausea, vomiting and aversions to certain foods and smells that affect
most pregnant women to some degree
Morning sickness
The process of becoming pregnant, when a sperm and egg join to form a single cell.
Conception
The process a woman’s body goes through when her baby is born.
labor
The first stool passed by a baby, tar-like in appearance.
meconium
Medical treatment that helps a woman conceive.
Fertility Treatment
, a condition that affects some
mothers in the days, weeks or months after giving birth causing
persistent mood of unhappines
postpartum depression
The monthly release of a mature egg from an ovary.
ovulation
When labor starts by itself, without medical help.
spontaneous labor
a newborn baby up to 4 weeks of age
neonate
The administration of a vaccine, often by injection, that makes the body
resistant to certain bacteria or viruse
immunization
An inability to control bladder or bowel movements.
Incontinence
A woman who has never been pregnant.
nulligravida
When a healthcare professional tries to artificially start labor.
induced
A condition causing yellowish skin and eyes in newborns, often due to excess bilirubin.
jaundice
The organ that nourishes the baby inside the uterus via the umbilical cord.
Placenta
The person specially trained to care for women during pregnancy, labor, and birth.
midwife
A woman who has given birth to two or more children.
multipara
When a baby is positioned inside the uterus with its feet or bottom down.
breech
A hospital unit for babies who need a high level of medical care
NICU
The process of conceiving a child outside the body, with the embryo placed into the uterus.
In Vitro fertilization (IVF)
excessive bleeding
hemorrhage
The increased pigmentation on the face during pregnancy, known as the “mask of pregnancy.”
Chloasma
A suction cap sometimes used to pull the baby out of the birth canal
vacuum cap
A test done at 1 and 5 minutes after birth, scoring appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration.
Apgar Score