Pregnancy Glossary

Alpha-Fetoprotein Test (AFP) : Blood test given between the 15th and 20th weeks of pregnancy to screen for abnormalities, including neural-tube defects and Down syndrome.

Breech Birth : When the baby’s buttocks, knees or feet appear first during delivery; usually results in a Cesarean section.

Contractions (labor pains) : Tightening of the uterus to expel the baby; contractions become stronger and more frequent as labor progresses.

Dilation : Opening of the cervix during labor to allow the baby to pass through; 10 centimeters is considered fully dilated.

Embryo : The developing fertilized egg until the eighth week of pregnancy.

Forceps Delivery : Placing spoon-like instruments around the baby’s head to facilitate delivery.

Gestational Age : The fetus’s age measured from the first day of the mother’s last menstrual period; an average pregnancy lasts 280 days, or about 40 weeks, from that day.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) A hormone produced by the embryo and thought to be related to nausea in early pregnancy.

Induction : Using artificial means to start labor, such as puncturing the membranes or giving oxytocin (Pitocin)

Kick Count : A record kept during late pregnancy of the number of times a fetus moves over a certain period of time

Low Birthweight : A baby weighing less than 5 1/2 pounds at birth

Morning Sickness : Nausea and vomiting, usually occurring during the first 13 weeks of pregnancy

Neonate : The newborn until 4 weeks of age

Post-term Pregnancy : A pregnancy that lasts beyond 42 weeks from the first day of the mother’s last menstrual period

Quickening : When the mother first feels the fetus move, usually between weeks 18–22

Rupture of Membranes (breaking of waters) : Breaking of the membranes that make up the amniotic sac during or before labor

Station : The relationship of the baby’s head during labor to bony knobs in the pelvis; positive numbers indicate delivery is closer

Transition stage : The period during labor when the cervix dilates from 8–10 centimeters

Ultrasound (sonogram) : A device that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce a picture of the fetus in utero umbilical cord The structure that connects the baby’s bloodstream to the mother’s

Vacuum Extraction : The use of suction to help guide the baby’s head out of the birth canal

Zygote :A fertilized egg; becomes embryo