- Amniotic Fluid:
- This is a liquid of mostly water that surrounds the baby andprotects it while it is in the uterus. When a woman’s water breaks,it is the amniotic fluid that is released in preparation for thebaby’s birth.
- BloodPregnancy Tests:
- Blood tests can be taken slightly earlier than urine tests, butthey do take a lot longer to process. Like urine tests, blood testsdetect hCG to confirm a pregnancy.
- Braxton HicksContractions:
- False labor or practice contractions may happen throughout pregnancy.They do not dilate the cervix, therefore, they are not dangerous.
- Cesarean:
- Commonly referred to as “C-section”. This is a surgicalprocedure used to deliver a baby. Epidural or a Spinal (pain medicine)is given, and an incision is made in the lower part of the woman’sabdomen.
- Conception:
- When the egg is available for fertilization and 350 million spermare released inside or near the woman’s vaginal area, about 200sperm will reach the egg. Of those 200 sperm, only one will actuallypenetrate the egg, thus causing conception.
- Contraction:
- The uterus tightens so that the cervix thins and dilates, makingway for the baby to go through the birth canal.
- Cramping:
- Early in pregnancy, some women feel repeated dull pains similarto those during a menstrual cycle. During the second trimester,women can also feel cramping due to the stretching of the abdominalmuscles.
- Endometrium:
- The embryo gets its nutrients from this lining of the uterus.
- Electronic Fetal Monitor:
- An instrument used to record the heartbeat of the unborn baby as well asthe mother’s contractions.
- Fibroids:
- These tumors of the muscle wall in the uterus are non-cancerous,but can potentially cause miscarriages, trouble in the growth ofthe baby, and trouble in the delivery depending on their size andlocation. Fibroids are also sometimes painful.
- Gestation:
- The age of the fetus, determined using the beginning date ofthe mother’s last menstrual period.
- Miscarriage:
- When circumstances cause the mother’s body to react to a problemin the pregnancy, it may cause bleeding, cramping, and will ultimatelycause the loss of the pregnancy.
- Ovulation:
- An average of 14 days after the beginning of a woman’s period,she has a rise in her luteinizing hormone (LH) when the egg is availablefor fertilization. This is the most probable time frame to get pregnant.
- Placenta:
- The tissue that connects the mother to the baby.
- Preterm:
- Counting from the first day of the woman’s last period, pretermis considered before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.
- Spotting:
- Not as heavy as a period, this brown or reddish tinted discharge occurswhen the endometrium (the uterine lining) has started to pull away fromthe uterus, anticipating a monthly period before realizing that thereis a pregnancy.
- Trimester:
- The period of time denotes a particular stage of pregnancy. Thereare three trimesters in a pregnancy, each being three months.
- Ultrasound:
- Sometimes referred to as a sonogram, this test uses sound wavesto detect and watch the unborn baby.
- UrinePregnancy Tests:
- A pregnancy test that uses urine to find the hormone called human ChorionicGonadotropin, or hCG. Urine pregnancy tests are taken two weeks afterprobable conception, or anytime after a woman misses a period. Most womencan find these tests at their local drug stores.
Last Updated: 01/2013
