Copy of `Health Guidance - Pregnancy Glossary`

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Health Guidance - Pregnancy Glossary Category: Health and Medicine Date & country: 17/02/2017, UK Words: 65

Vernix
The white, creamy covering over the baby's skin during the last part of pregnancy.

Urine
Water solution of waste products which is filtered through the kidneys and passes out of the body through the bladder and urethra.

Uterus
The organ of the woman's reproductive system in which the baby grows. Sometimes called the womb.

Vagina
The passageway between the outside of the body and the lower end of the uterus. Sometimes called the birth canal.

Vaginal douche
Irrigation of the vagina with water or a solution of medicine.

Umbilical cord
The round cord which is attached to the baby's abdomen and connected at the other end to the placenta. It contains the blood vessels that carry the baby's blood to and from the placenta.

Urethra
The short passage between the bladder and the outside of the body.

Urination
Passing urine out of the body through the urethra.

Pubic bone
The front bone of the pelvis.

Rectum
The lower end of the bowel.

Spermatozoon
The male sex cell. (Plural—Spermatozoa.)

Sphincter muscle
A circular muscle at the end of the bowel which controls the emptying of the bowel.

Stethoscope
The instrument through which a doctor can hear heart beats, breath sounds, and other internal noises.

Postpartum examination
Examination of the pelvic organs to see that they are returning to normal after the birth of the baby.

Pregnancy
The period of time from conception to birth or miscarriage.

Prenatal care
Medical care and supervision before the birth of the baby.

Pelvic examination
Internal examination of the uterus and ovaries done by the doctor.

Pelvic measurements
Measurements made by the doctor of the size of the birth canal.

Pelvic organs
The organs of a woman's body which are in the hollow of the pelvic bones. These are the uterus, vagina, ovaries, Fallopian tubes, bladder, and rectum.

Pelvis
The circle of bone forming the support of the trunk, and to which the leg bones are attached.

Placenta
The organ at the end of the umbilical cord which is attached to the lining of the uterus and through which the baby gets nourishment.

Obstetrician
A doctor who specializes in the care of pregnant women and the delivery of babies.

Ovaries
The two small, internal oval-shaped organs which produce the female cells.

Ovum
The female sex cell. (Plural—Ova.)

Oxygen
A gas which is present in the air and which is absorbed by the blood from the air we breathe. It is necessary for the proper functioning of the body cells.

Nausea
A feeling of discomfort in the stomach which often leads to vomiting.

Mucus
The colorless sticky material secreted by glands in certain parts of the mucous membrane to keep it moist.

Morning sickness
The feeling of nausea or discomfort which sometimes comes during the first 3 months of pregnancy. So-called because it is more often noticed in the morning.

Mucous membrane
The thin membrane lining the mouth, the nose, the inside of the digestive tract, and the vagina.

Minerals
Certain elements such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, which are present in foods and in body cells.

Miscarriage
Birth of the baby during the early part of pregnancy, before it has reached an age when it could possibly live outside the mother's body.

Labor
The period at the birth of the baby which is marked by regular contractions of the uterus, opening of the cervix, and changes in the birth canal so that the baby can pass through.

Lanolin
A purified animal fat similar to cold cream.

Leucorrhea
Whitish vaginal discharge.

Lochia
The discharge of blood and tissue from the uterus after the birth of the baby.

Maternity care
The care of a mother during the prenatal period, at delivery of the baby, and after his birth.

Hemoglobin
The red coloring matter of the blood which is concerned with carrying oxygen.

Involution
The return of the uterus to normal size after the birth of the baby.

Kidneys
The two organs located deep in the body on either side of the backbone near the waistline in which the urine is formed.

Fallopian tubes
The two small tubes leading from the uterus to the ovaries.

Fertilization
The entrance of the male cell into the female cell and its union with the female nucleus.

Fontanelle
The soft spot on the top of the baby's head where the skull bones have not yet grown together.

Forceps
An obstetrical instrument which helps to lift out the baby's head.

Episiotomy
A small cut made in the vaginal entrance at the birth of the baby to allow him to be born without tearing the skin of the entrance.

Delivery
Birth of the baby.

Convalescence
The period of recovery after childbirth, an operation, or an illness.

Contraction
The tightening of a muscle.

Conception
The union of the male and female sex cells.

Confinement
The birth of the baby.

Constipation
Failure of the bowels to pass feces (waste products) out of the body, or difficult passage of hard bowel movements.

Colostrum
The thin watery fluid which begins to seep from the nipples about the fourth month of pregnancy, and which serves to nourish the baby after birth until the milk begins to form.

Breech baby
A baby born feet or buttocks first.

Bunting
An outer wrap for a small baby which consists of a hood attached to a small blanket.

Catheterization
Passing a small tube through the urethra into the bladder to draw out the urine.

Cervix
The lower end of the uterus.

Cesarean birth
Birth of a baby by an abdominal operation.

Blood pressure
The pressure of the blood in the arteries caused by the pumping of the heart and movement of blood in the blood vessels.

Bag of waters
The bag of membranes, enclosing the baby in the uterus, which is attached to the placenta and is filled with fluid.

Bladder
The organ in which the urine is collected as it drains down from the kidneys, and from which it passes out of the body.

Afterbirth
The placenta and membranes, which pass out of the uterus after the baby is born.

Albumin
A normal body substance found in the blood which occasionally gets into the urine if the kidneys are not working right.

Anemia
A condition of the blood in which there is either not enough hemoglobin or not enough red blood cells.

Anesthetic
A type of medicine which is used to prevent feeling pain. There are two kinds, general anesthetics and local anesthetics. General anesthetics, such as gas or ether, are used to put a person to sleep; local anesthetics are injected beneath the skin or into the spinal canal to deaden special areas of the body.

Abdomen
The region of the body between the lower rib margin and the pubic bone; the lower front half of the body. Sometimes called the belly, or, incorrectly, stomach.

Abortion
The medical term for early miscarriage. Abortion also refers to illegal miscarriage.