Common Pregnancy, Labour & Birth Medical Terms Every Parent Should Know

Why Knowing These Terms Can Help You Feel Prepared

There are a lot of unknowns when you find out you’re having a baby and even more medical terminology you have to learn. Your GP, midwife and obstetrician are there to help you understand what’s happening but bookmark this page, too, for a full glossary of terms related to pregnancy.

How This Guide Works

To make it easier to find pregnancy terms and their meanings, we’ve broken this guide into handy sections. Before each doctor’s appointment, take a look at the section that corresponds to where you’re at in your pregnancy. The guide can help after appointments, too – even if the terminology is fully explained to you, it can be good to have a cheat sheet to refer back to at home.

The sections in this guide are: 

• Before pregnancy: This means pre-conception and early fertility

• Pregnancy: Also called the antenatal period, this is when you’re actually pregnant

• Labour & birth

• After pregnancy: Also known as the postpartum period, this is immediately after giving birth to one year.

• Other general pregnancy terms

Terms used before pregnancy: pre-conception and early fertility

Here are some of the key terms you’ll hear when you’re trying to get pregnant.

• Assisted reproductive technology (ART): Medical procedures like IVF to aid fertility.

• Conception: The fertilisation of an egg by sperm and the beginning of a pregnancy.

• Endometrium: The layer of tissue inside the uterus that thickens in the lead up to ovulation. This tissue will provide an environment for a fertilised egg to settle into. If fertilisation doesn’t occur, it will fall away and be expelled as part of a woman’s period.

• Fertility: This generally refers to the likelihood of conceiving and or carrying a baby to birth.

• Fertility treatment: Medical procedures or drugs that help a woman to conceive.

• Genetic screening & counselling: This can happen before conception, to assess your risk of passing on genetic conditions, or after conception, to test for genetic conditions. Counselling helps you understand the risks and deal with unexpected results.  

• Ovulation: The monthly release of an egg as part of a woman’s menstrual cycle.

• Pre-pregnancy health checks: There are numerous tests you can have before you start to try to get pregnant. These include blood tests to find out your blood type and check for any infections; vaccinations to boost immunity to things like rubella and chickenpox; routine screenings like a cervical screening or breast check; and checking for chronic conditions like high blood pressure.

• Uterus: Also called the womb, this is the organ in which a baby grows and develops.

• Zygote: A fertilised egg in the first two weeks of pregnancy

Terms Used In Pregnancy: The antenatal period

There are many terms related to pregnancy. We have broken these into easy-to-follow sections to make it easier to find what you’re looking for (also check out Pregnancy FAQs for more info). This is where you’ll find the prenatal meaning.

General pregnancy

• Antenatal: When it comes to the prenatal vs antenatal, the definitions are actually the same. The antenatal meaning is ‘before birth’ and refers to the period during pregnancy but before birth. (You may also hear it called ‘prenatal’, although this is less common in Australia.)

• Amniotic fluid: The liquid surrounding the baby in your uterus.

• Amniotic sac: The sac around your baby in the uterus. 

• Cervix: The narrow opening between the vagina and the uterus that widens (dilates) during labour to accommodate the baby’s passage.

• Embryo: Two weeks after conception, the fertilised egg will be considered an embryo (until week 8)

• Foetus: After week 8, an embryo will be referred to as a foetus. Most people and even specialists will refer conversationally to the foetus as a baby from this point.

• Full-term: When a pregnancy reaches between week 37 and 42 gestation.

• Gestation: The length of time that an embryo, foetus or baby has been growing inside the uterus – you will hear ‘10 weeks’ gestation’ or ‘42 weeks’ gestation’.

• Multiple pregnancy: Carrying more than one baby at the same time.

• Perinatal: In Australia, this refers to the time from conception to the end of the first year after the baby is born. 

• Perineum: The area between the vagina and the anus.

• Placenta: The internal organ that connects to the wall of the uterus abd develops with the baby to provide them with nutrients.

• Quickening: This refers to the first fetal movement felt by a mother. It might feel like flutters or tiny pulses.

• Trimesters: The three-month time spans that each mark a different phase of fetal development. The first trimester is conception to week 12, the second trimester is week 13 to week 27, and third trimester is week 28 to childbirth. The 12 weeks after birth is often referred to as the fourth trimester.

• Umbilical cord: This connects the placenta to the baby via their stomach (later forming the belly button) and provides them with blood, oxygen and nutrients.

Medical tests & scans

• Amniocentesis: A genetic test that involves taking a sample of the amniotic fluid. It screens for conditions like Down Syndrome and can be done after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

• Cervical screening (PAP test/HPV test): A health test for all women that looks for HPV, a common infection that can lead to cervical cancer. It needs to be carried out every five years and is safe to have done during pregnancy.  

• Chorionic villus sampling (CVS): Like amniocentesis, this test screens for genetic or chromosomal disorders. It can be done after 11 weeks of pregnancy and a thin needle is inserted into the placenta

• Glucose tolerance test (GTT): An oral test that screens for gestational diabetes. The test assesses how your body responds to ‘glucose load’.

• Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT): A NIPT screening indicates an increased risk of fetal abnormalities. It is done by testing the mother’s blood and indicates if further testing is needed. 

• Rhesus factor (Rh factor): This is protein on the surface of your red blood cells that determines your blood type. It’s important to know your blood type during pregnancy because complications can occur if you’re Rh-negative and the fetus is Rh-positive. This is called Rh incompatibility.

• Ultrasound: A safe procedure that uses soundwaves to create images of your baby in the uterus. An ultrasound checks for things like your baby’s heartbeat, position in the uterus, the baby’s size and the location of the placenta. It can help determine your due date, too.  

Complications

• Anaemia in pregnancy: Anaemia is when you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen around your body. You may feel weak, tired and dizzy and be breathless. General causes of anemia include not enough folate and a lack of B12 in your diet. 

• Antepartum haemorrhage: Bleeding from the vagina during pregnancy.

• Cholestasis: A bile acid buildup in the liver that happens late in pregnancy. It can cause intense itching, particularly on the hands, but no rash.

• Ectopic pregnancy: A fertilised egg that implants outside of the uterus, typically in a fallopian tube. This is a non-viable pregnancy that needs to be treated immediately, either with medication or surgery.

• Gestational diabetes: A type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy  when hormonal changes affect how the body processes sugar. It usually occurs in the second or third trimester and is temporary. It needs management to keep the mother and baby safe.  

• Preeclampsia: High blood pressure that indicates the liver and kidney aren’t functioning as they should be. This condition needs close monitoring.

• Miscarriage: The sudden loss of pregnancy before the 20th week. The pregnancy stops growing and pregnancy tissue passes out of the body.

• Molar pregnancy: A rare pregnancy complication, a molar pregnancy is when abnormal tissue grows in the uterus instead of a normal placenta and embryo. The abnormal tissue needs to be removed. 

• Rh incompatibility: When you’re Rh-negative and the fetus is Rh-positive, you have Rh incompatibility. You will be offered an anti-D immunoglobulin injection to avoid associated problems for you and your baby.

Planning & support 

• Antenatal classes: Sessions that train expectant parents on things like labour, birth and early parenthood.

• Birth plan: This outlines your preferences for childbirth and is developed with specialist consultation.

• Hospital plan: This outlines what happens when you go into labour and leave for the hospital. The hospital plan includes things like the address, route, contact numbers, where to park, which ward to go to and so on. Prepare this throughout the pregnancy so it’s ready to go when you are.

• Maternity leave: Often called parental leave, this is the amount of time you can have off work and includes paid and unpaid leave.

• Support person: This is the person you select to help you through pregnancy, labour and birth. It may be your partner, a family member or friend.

Terms Used In Labour & Birth

Here are some of the terms associated with labour and birth. It helps to have a read of these before you go into labour, so you know what may occur.

• Apgar score: A test given to newborn babies one minute and 5 minutes after they are born. The test assesses your baby’s health and rates skin colour, heart rate, reflexes and responsiveness, muscle tone and breathing rate. 

• Assisted birth: Sometimes babies need help to be guided out of the birth canal. Instruments used in an assisted birth include forceps and a ventouse (vacuum cup).

• Birth canal: The passageway the baby is delivered through in a vaginal birth. It’s made up of the cervix and vagina.

• Braxton Hicks contractions: Also called false labour, this is when the muscles across your stomach tighten. The feeling is different to contractions because it’s irregular and usually only lasts for about 30 seconds at a time. Find out more at signs of false labour.

• Breech: A baby in the breech position has their head upright and feet or bottom positioned at the cervix. It’s more dangerous for babies to be born this way rather than head first, and often a caesarean is an alternative to a breech birth.

• Caesarean section: A surgical procedure where the baby is born via an incision in the mother’s lower abdomen. You may also hear this called a c-section.

• Contractions: The strong, involuntary tightening of the uterus that assists a baby down out of the womb and through the birth canal.

• Crowning: This is when the baby is passing through the birth canal and the top of their head is visible.

• Dilation: The opening of the cervix, measured in centimetres. As the labour progresses, this opening becomes wider. 

• Engaged: When the baby’s head is positioned downward and resting on the cervix in the lead up to childbirth.

• Epidural: A painkiller given to a woman in labour to numb the lower half of the body.

• Episiotomy: An incision made in the perineum (the area between the vagina and anus) to reduce tearing during birth. It will be surgically repaired following childbirth.

• Induction: When labour hasn’t started naturally, medical interventions, such as medications, are used to soften the cervix and trigger contractions.

• Labour: The process of a woman giving birth - or the labour definition – is technically divided into stages: stage one is when the body is preparing to give birth (read Early signs of labour), stage two is the actual childbirth; and stage three is the passing of the placenta.

• Pain relief: During labour, pain relief can range from natural methods like heat packs, water immersion, breathing techniques and massage, through to gas (nitrous oxide mixed with oxygen), morphine injections or an epidural. 

• Premature birth: This usually refers to babies born before week 37. Premature babies often need temporary specialist care.

• Show: A show, or bloody show is pink or blood-stained mucus that comes from the cervix. It’s a sign of impending labour.

• TENS: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation worn on the body during labour. It transmits small electrical pulses at regular intervals and can be helpful for pain relief.

• Waters: The amniotic fluid that surrounds a baby in the womb. When these gush out or ‘break’, it’s time for the baby to be born.

Terms Used After Pregnancy: The postpartum period

There are many medical terms used after birth, too. Here are some of the most common, including the definition of postpartum. 

The mother’s recovery

• Baby blues vs. postpartum depression: The baby blues are mild mood swings and feeling tired and anxious. Postpartum depression is more intense and may include feeling persistent sadness and the inability to cope. It will last longer than two weeks and needs medical help. 

• Lochia: Normal vaginal discharge after birth consisting of blood, mucus and uterine tissue. It can last for up to six weeks. 

• Mastitis: Breast inflammation caused by blocked milk ducts. Breasts will be red, hot, inflamed and painful. 

• Pelvic floor exercises: Easy exercises to strengthen the area in and around the vagina.

• Perineum healing: After vaginal births, the perineum takes time to repair itself, particularly if you have experienced tearing or an episiotomy. Basic perineum healing can take a few weeks but complete may take longer.  

• Postnatal and postpartum: The postpartum meaning is the period after childbirth.

Newborn care

• Breastfeeding: Feeding the baby directly from the breast. This is recommended for newborns as breastmilk contains antibodies that protect babies from common illnesses and nutrients to help them grow. Read this breastfeeding guide for more info. 

• Bottle feeding: Feeding the baby with a bottle of either expressed breast milk or infant formula.

• Colostrum: The first milk produced after birth. It is thick, yellow and nutrient rich.

• Jaundice: A common treatable condition in newborns that causes yellowing skin and eye. 

• Newborn screening tests: Routine blood and health checks performed after birth to assess the baby’s health.

• Skin-to-skin contact: Placing a newborn directly on a parent’s bare chest to promote bonding.

• Swaddling: The technique of wrapping - or swaddling - babies snugly to comfort them and help them sleep.

• Safe sleep: This refers to the correct way to put a baby down to sleep to minimise the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Measures include placing babies on their backs on a firm flat surface in an area that is not too hot or cold. They also should have no loose bedding, pillows or toys around them. Read more on how to reduce the risk of SIDs as you prep the nursery.

Healthcare providers

Here are the healthcare providers you may come into contact with during your pregnancy.

• Anaesthetist: A doctor who specialises in giving anaesthetic.

• Doula: A trained (non-medical) support purpose who provides emotional and practical support during labour and birth. 

• Lactation consultant: A breastfeeding specialist who helps with feeding difficulties. 

• Midwife: A person who specialises in delivering babies and advising parents on pre- and postnatal care and strategies.

• Obstetrician: A doctor who specialises in pregnancy and childbirth

• Paediatrician