Maternity terms

24 terms

Apgar score: A 0–10 score of a newborn at 1 and 5 minutes after birth, based on heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability and color. A score of 7–10 is reassuring; a score below 7 means the newborn needs medical attention. Never wait for the Apgar score to start resuscitation: that decision rests on breathing and heart rate.
Breastfeeding: Feeding an infant with the mother's milk; WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, then continued breastfeeding with complementary foods up to 2 years or beyond. The first milk, colostrum, is rich in immune factors. Support starting breastfeeding within the first hour after birth. Teach positioning and latch, feeding on demand and signs of adequate intake such as wet diapers and weight gain.
Eclampsia: New-onset generalized tonic-clonic seizures in a woman with preeclampsia that have no other cause; they can occur before, during or after birth, which is why magnesium sulfate for severe preeclampsia is usually continued for 24 hours after birth. Severe headache, visual disturbance and epigastric pain may come first. During a seizure call for help, turn the woman on her side to protect the airway, prevent injury and prepare for magnesium sulfate; monitor the fetal heart rate.
Ectopic pregnancy: Implantation of a fertilized ovum outside the uterine cavity, most often in a fallopian tube. A missed period, lower abdominal pain and vaginal spotting are typical; rupture causes sudden severe pain, shoulder pain and hemorrhagic shock. Previous pelvic infection, tubal surgery and a prior ectopic pregnancy raise the risk. Watch for signs of shock and prepare the client for emergency surgery or other ordered treatment.
Fetal heart rate: The number of fetal heartbeats per minute; a normal baseline is 110–160 beats/min. On electronic fetal monitoring, baseline, variability, accelerations and decelerations are read together: moderate variability and accelerations reassure about fetal well-being. Early decelerations reflect head compression, variable decelerations cord compression and late decelerations uteroplacental insufficiency.
Fundal height: The distance, measured with a tape, from the top of the symphysis pubis to the top of the uterine fundus. Between about 20 and 36 weeks, the height in centimeters roughly equals the weeks of gestation. A discrepancy needs further evaluation: fetal growth, the number of fetuses, the amount of amniotic fluid, fibroids or a wrong due date can affect it.
Gestational diabetes mellitus: Diabetes that develops during pregnancy in a woman without known type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Screening is commonly done with an oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks. It increases the risk of macrosomia, shoulder dystocia and neonatal hypoglycemia. Treatment starts with diet and exercise, adding insulin if needed. It usually resolves after birth, but the later risk of type 2 diabetes stays high, so follow-up continues.
Gravida and para: Gravida is the total number of pregnancies, whatever their outcome, including a current one; para is the number of pregnancies that ended in birth at 20 weeks or more: a current pregnancy is not counted until birth, and a multiple birth counts as one. GTPAL records gravida, term and preterm births counted by pregnancy rather than by infant, abortions and living children. For example, a woman in her second pregnancy with one previous term birth is G2P1.
HELLP syndrome: A serious complication of pregnancy, linked to preeclampsia, defined by Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets. Right upper quadrant or epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting occur; hypertension is not always present, and about a third of cases appear after birth. Bleeding and liver rupture are risks. Monitor closely for bleeding, laboratory trends and vital signs.
Hyperemesis gravidarum: Severe, persistent nausea and vomiting in pregnancy causing fluid and electrolyte imbalance, ketosis and weight loss. Unlike ordinary morning sickness, it disrupts daily life and may need hospital care. Monitor intake and output, weight, urine ketones and electrolytes, give IV fluids as ordered, and support a gradual return to eating.
Kangaroo care: Holding an infant who wears only a diaper upright against a parent's bare chest for skin-to-skin contact. It stabilizes temperature, heart rate and breathing, and supports breastfeeding and bonding; WHO recommends it especially for low-birth-weight and preterm infants because it reduces mortality. Make sure the infant's airway stays clear and monitor temperature.
Late deceleration: A gradual fall in fetal heart rate whose lowest point comes after the peak of the contraction and that returns to baseline only after the contraction ends; it signals uteroplacental insufficiency and fetal hypoxia. Stop any oxytocin infusion, turn the woman onto her left side, increase IV fluids, notify the provider and continue monitoring. Recurrent late decelerations may call for expedited birth.
Lochia: The vaginal discharge after birth, which changes in three stages: lochia rubra (days 1–3, dark red), lochia serosa (about days 4–10, pinkish brown) and lochia alba (from about day 10 for several weeks, yellowish white). Assess amount, color and odor. Report large clots, a return to red bleeding, soaking a pad in less than an hour or a foul odor as possible hemorrhage or infection.
Naegele's rule: A way to estimate the due date: take the first day of the last menstrual period, add 7 days, subtract 3 months and add one year; it assumes a regular 28-day cycle. For example, an LMP of April 10 gives a due date of January 17 the following year. With irregular cycles or an unknown LMP, an ultrasound is used to confirm the due date.
Neonatal jaundice: Yellowing of the skin and sclera of a newborn from bilirubin build-up. Physiologic jaundice usually appears on days 2–3 and resolves on its own; jaundice in the first 24 hours is pathologic and needs prompt evaluation. Very high levels can damage the brain (kernicterus). During phototherapy shield the eyes, expose as much skin as possible and support frequent feeding; monitor hydration and temperature.
Oxytocin: A hormone released from the posterior pituitary that stimulates uterine contractions and milk let-down; its synthetic form is used to induce or augment labor and to prevent postpartum hemorrhage. It is a high-alert drug given by infusion pump. Monitor contraction frequency and duration, uterine relaxation and the fetal heart rate, and stop the infusion for tachysystole (more than 5 contractions in 10 minutes, averaged over 30 minutes) or a nonreassuring fetal heart rate pattern. Prolonged use can cause water intoxication.
Placenta previa: A placenta implanted in the lower uterine segment whose edge reaches or covers the internal cervical os; one whose edge lies less than 2 cm (20 mm) from the os without covering it is called low-lying. The classic sign is painless, bright red vaginal bleeding; sudden, severe abdominal pain points instead to placental abruption. Diagnosis is by ultrasound. Never perform a vaginal examination, because it can provoke hemorrhage; monitor blood loss, maternal vital signs and the fetal heart rate, and prepare for cesarean birth.
Placental abruption: Partial or complete separation of a normally implanted placenta from the uterine wall before birth. Sudden abdominal or back pain, a board-like, tender uterus and dark bleeding are typical; bleeding can be concealed, so visible loss may understate severity. Hypertension, trauma, smoking and cocaine use are risk factors. It is an emergency that can cause maternal shock, fetal distress and coagulopathy.
Postpartum depression: Depression starting in the weeks or months after birth that lasts at least two weeks and impairs daily functioning. It differs from the baby blues, which are mild and usually resolve within two weeks. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is used for screening. Ask the mother directly about thoughts of harming herself or the baby, teach the family the warning signs and refer for mental health support.
Postpartum hemorrhage: Excessive blood loss after birth: by ACOG, a cumulative loss of 1000 mL or more, or bleeding with signs of hypovolemia, regardless of route of birth; by WHO, FIGO and ICM (2025), after vaginal birth, 500 mL or more, or 300 mL or more with abnormal vital signs. Uterine atony is the most common cause (the 4 Ts: tone, trauma, tissue, thrombin). Assess the fundus and massage it if boggy, make sure the bladder is empty, quantify blood loss by weighing, call for help and prepare uterotonics.
Preeclampsia: New hypertension after 20 weeks of gestation (systolic ≥140 or diastolic ≥90 mmHg) with proteinuria or signs of organ damage (thrombocytopenia, kidney or liver dysfunction, pulmonary edema, headache, visual disturbance). It can progress to eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. During magnesium sulfate therapy, monitor deep tendon reflexes, respiratory rate and urine output, and keep calcium gluconate, the antidote, at hand.
Prenatal care: Care throughout pregnancy to monitor the health of mother and fetus, detect risks early and prepare for birth. Blood pressure, weight, urine protein, fundal height and fetal heart tones are checked, along with screening tests and teaching on nutrition and danger signs. WHO recommends at least 8 contacts; in Türkiye the Ministry of Health's prenatal care guideline sets a minimum of 4 visits.
Rh incompatibility: An Rh-negative mother exposed to the blood of an Rh-positive fetus can make anti-D antibodies that, in later pregnancies, destroy fetal red cells and cause hemolytic disease. Unsensitized Rh-negative women receive anti-D immune globulin at about 28 weeks and within 72 hours of giving birth to an Rh-positive baby, and after a miscarriage, abortion or bleeding episode. Check the maternal blood type and antibody screen.
Stages of labor: Labor is divided into four stages: the first runs from regular contractions to full cervical dilation (10 cm) and has latent and active phases; the second from full dilation to birth of the baby; the third from birth to delivery of the placenta; and the fourth covers the first 1–4 hours after birth. In the fourth stage, check bleeding, fundal tone and maternal vital signs frequently.