PCD Objective 3.03 Healthy Pregnancy & Delivery

PCDObjective 3.03 Healthy Pregnancy &Delivery Key Terms

personal hygiene • Keeping the body clean and fresh

Kegel exercise • Strengthens the pelvic floor muscles, which support the uterus, bladder and bowel

pelvic floor • The lower pelvic area of a female

nutrient dense • Foods that are full of important nutrients including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products

Mercury • A heavy metal toxin that can harm fetal nervous tissue

Fontanels • A soft, membrane-covered space between the bones at the front and the back of a newborn’s skull

foodborne illness • Hazards that make food unsafe to eat

Listeriosis • A disease that can cause fever, meningitis, miscarriage, or premature birth and is spread by eating food contaminated with listeria

Obstetrician • A medical doctor who specializes in pregnancy and delivery

folic acid • A B-complex vitamin found in many vegetables, beans, fruits, whole grains, and some fortified breakfast cereals and it helps prevent birth defects

Alternative birth center • A facility where the baby is delivered in a room with the family present

home delivery • Giving birth to a baby at home

standard hospital delivery • Having a baby in a medical hospital with a doctor and staff in a delivery room

natural childbirth • The act or process of giving birth using limited medication

Lamaze method • training in the use of controlled breathing and coached by a partner to facilitate the process of natural childbirth

Leboyer method • delivery occurs in a quiet, dimly lit room - immediate bonding between mother and child

Cesarean method • A surgical procedure to remove the baby from the mother’s uterus in case of complications prohibiting a vaginal delivery

breech birth • Baby is delivered feet or buttocks first

early labor • Mild contractions, last 8 to 12 hours

active labor • Fetal monitor may be used, cervix 3 centimeters, lasts 3 to 5 hours

Transition • Intense labor, cervix 7 centimeters, last 30 minutes to two hours

Episiotomy • A small cut made at the opening of the birth canal

genetic counseling • patients at risk of an inherited disorder, advised of • the consequences and nature of the disorder • the probability of developing or transmitting it • the options open to them in management and family planning in order to prevent, avoid, or reduce the risk

Amniocentesis • A prenatal test • Removes a small amount of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the developing fetus • may be performed to check for Down Syndrome in a mother over age 35

chronic villi sampling • A prenatal test • involves taking a sample of the hair-like tissue in the placenta to check for certain birth defects

Ultrasound • A test that makes sound waves to create video and still images of the fetus inside the uterus

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) • A blood test that measures the level of alpha-fetoprotein in the mothers' blood during pregnancy • indicator of possible birth defects in a fetus

PCD Objective 3.03 Healthy Pregnancy & Delivery