Common Labor and Delivery terms you should know before giving birth! 👩⚕️
❤️ Chroio : (Chorioamnionitis) An infection you can get during labor-doing a whole post on the ins and outs of chorio next week!
🧡 Complete: Also called “Fully”, if you hear someone say you are complete, that means you are fully dilated to 10cm! (or about as big as that bagel!)
💙 Accel : Ever see/hear baby’s heart rate rise for a few seconds? Typically going up by 15 beats for 15-60 seconds! This is a good indication that baby is getting adequate blood flow from your placenta-and something we look for in your fetal heart rate tracings for reassurance!
👶 Transition : That part of labor that’s USUALLY the toughest for women! From about 7-10 centimeters!
🤰Fundus : Your fundus is just another word for the top part of your uterus! Your provider will check your “fundal height” during your pregnancy, and may press on your fundus to check your bleeding after you give birth!
✳️ Mucous Plug : Your cervix is encircled in a thick mucous-y plug to help keep out infections & unwanted bacteria! Typically women lose this plug closer to labor, but it really can be lost at any point in your pregnancy, and it can also grow back!
😱 Decel : Sometimes baby’s heart rate drops, during your pregnancy, or more commonly during labor. Many time decelerations are completely harmless, but they can indicate fetal stress!
💜 Ferning : One method your provider may check to see if your water is broken is by looking for the presence of “ferning”! After taking a small sample of fluid from you (from your vagina), your provider will look at this sample under a microscope and if that fluid is amniotic fluid it will fern out on the slide!
🔴 Foley Bulb : A popular method of induction, typically for first time moms, or for moms who have fairly closed/thick cervixes. A foley bulb is a small catheter that is placed in your cervix that manually preps/dilates your cervix for labor!
❤️ Bloody Show : This type of vaginal bleeding is actually from your cervix as you are dilating more, your cervix has a tendency to bleed whenever it’s manipulated! Some women have bloody show with early labor, but you typically have a lot more as you are progressing, and during pushing!
🧡 Effaced : effacement just refers to the process of your cervix thinning! Along with opening to 10 cm, your cervix is long and thick before labor, and has to thin (aka EFFACE), during labor to accommodate baby!
💙 Fetal Monitoring : You may be placed on the monitor to track baby’s heart rate once you arrive to the hospital! This allows us to see how baby is doing! Some women prefer intermittent monitoring and/or auscultation with a Doppler if they are low risk!
👶 Posterior : When baby is sunny side up, as opposed to baby’s face facing towards your spine. This position is common among first time moms, and can contribute sometimes to longer, more difficult labors. It can also cause back labor too.
💚 Meconium : Occasionally baby poops inside you, during labor, and it may turn the amniotic fluid a green/brown color. Sometimes this is due to stress, but more often it’s just due to the fact that baby is full term and some babies just do this! A few extra nurses may be at your delivery just in case baby comes out needing resuscitation.
👄 Anterior Lip : Not talking about your lips! An anterior lip is when you are about 9.5 centimeters, and you have a little more cervix on the front to get rid of before you push!
👑 Crowning : When we can see baby’s head when you push, and it’s not going back in! Only way is out!
💜 Perineum : You know that area between your vagina and your butt-hole? 😳 Yep, that’s your perineum! It’s the most common place women may tear during birth!
💍 Engagement : Not talking rings lol! Engagement is when baby settles down into your pelvis, and is pressing onto your pelvis bones, and not letting up, it usually happens in the weeks leading up to labor!
Instagram: @mommy.labornurse
Leave a Reply