Pregnancy Labor and Delivery Glossary

There are many terms which surround the labor and delivery that a pregnant woman experiences during the birth of her baby. The following glossary lists some common labor and delivery terms. * APGAR Score- This a score given to newborns at both one and five minutes immediately after birth. It measures an infant's response to birth on a rating from one to ten. * Breech-This term refers to a baby who is positioned with his buttocks and/or feet first as delivery approaches. * Cesarean-This refers to the birth of a baby by extraction from the uterus through surgery. * Contraction-This is the regular tightening of the uterus, which occurs as the baby is advancing down the birth canal. * Crowning-This term refers to the baby's head appearing at the top of the vaginal opening. * Dilation-The cervix is measured from one to ten centimeters as it opens for childbirth. * Effacement- The cervix begins to thin as birth approaches. The measurement is typically in percentages from one to 100 percent. * Episiotomy-An incision that is made during childbirth to widen the vaginal opening for easier delivery of the baby. * Labor-When the uterus contracts regularly to open the cervix. * Post-partum-The period after childbirth has occurred.