What Do These Words Mean?

Birth - Labor is made up of three parts: the labor, the birth of your baby and the delivery of the placenta.

Braxton-Hicks Contractions - Painless contractions in your uterus that happen more often towards the end of your pregnancy.

Caesarean Section - The surgical delivery of your baby through a cut in the tummy and the uterus.

Cervix - The opening to the uterus that must stretch to ten centimeters in order for your baby to be born.

Colostrum - The fluid in the mother’s breasts during pregnancy and until the milk comes in.

Delivery - The birth of the baby and placenta.

Demerol - A drug (narcotic) given to decrease the feeling of pain.

Dilation - The opening of the cervix from zero to ten centimeters.

Effacement - The thinning and shortening of the cervix that happens late in pregnancy or during labor.

Episiotomy - A cut or incision in the woman’s bottom (perineum) to help the baby come out and avoid tearing.

Epidural - Anesthesia given to numb the mother from her tummy to her toes.

Fetal Heart Rate - The rate that the unborn baby’s heart beats which is normally 120 to 160 beats a minute.

Fetal Monitoring - The recording of the fetal heart rate and/or force of the uterus’ contractions. It can be done on the outside of the mother using a belt or on the inside using a clip that goes on the fetus’ head.