| A | B |
|---|
| obstetriction | Medical doctors who specialize in pregnancy and birth |
| certified nurse-midwife | nurses who specialize in pregnancy and birth |
| low birthweight | babies that weigh less than 5.8 pounds at birth |
| stillbirth | Delivery of a deceased baby |
| gestational diabetes | a type of diabetes that occurs only during pregnancy |
| cesarean section | Surgical procedure to remove the baby from the womb |
| sexually transmitted infections | Infectious illness spread primarily through sexual contact. |
| bacterial STIs | STI caused by bacteria and can be cured with antibiotics if detected and treated early |
| viral STIs | STI caused by viruses and cannot be cured |
| HIV | the human immunodeficiency virus which causes AIDS |
| AIDS | a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, which destroys the body's immune system |
| fetal alcohol sydrome | condition such as cognitive disabilities caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol |
| germinal period | The pregnancy stage that extends from conception until about two weeks later when implantation in the uterus occurs |
| zygote | The cell that results from fertilization between a sperm and an egg |
| blastocyst | When a fertilized egg begins dividing into cell |
| embryonic period | Pregnancy stage that extendes from conception to the ninth week if pregnancy |
| embryo | Term used to describe the developing baby during the embryonic period |
| fetal period | Pregnancy stage that extends from the 9th week of pregnancy until birth |
| fetus | Term used to describe the developing baby during the fetal period |
| Braxton-Hicks contractions | The first mild contractions that begin labor, sometimes weeks before actual labor occurs |
| natural childbirth | Birth procedures that focus on relaxation techniques instead of medication to deal with pain |
| Lamaze method | Natural childbirth method that focuses on relaxation techniques, using a focal point and an emotional coach |
| doula | a kind of emotional coach used by some mothers during childbirth |
| episiotomy | a surgical cut that allows the baby to pass through more easily during delivery |
| very low birthweight | babies that weigh less than 3.5 pounds at birth |
| induced labor | Labor that is hastened by medical intervention rather than occurring naturally |
| breech birth | when the baby is in an upright rather than a head-down position through birth |
| oxygen deprivation | When the baby's flow of oxygen is somehow interrupted during the birth process |
| Rh factor | When the type of protein in red blood cells do not match between the mother and baby |
