When you have a child who is born prematurely or you are facing a difficult pregnancy, you may hear your doctor use medical terms you’re not familiar with. Some of the most common terms you may hear include the following:
Anemia
– a disorder signaled by a reduction in blood cells or hemoglobin
Birth asphyxia
– when a baby does not receive enough oxygen before, during or just after birth
Congenital
– present at birth; often used regarding an abnormality or birth defect
Congenital heart disease
- Heart disease that exists at birth
Eclampsia
– pregnancy complication that causes convulsions and loss of consciousness
Fetal exposure to alcohol or other toxic substances
- When the baby has been exposed to dangerous substances, such as alcohol or tobacco
Gestational diabetes
– diabetes that occurs during pregnancy
Gestational diabetes
- Diabetes that occurs during pregnancy (in the mother)
Hematologic conditions
- Disorders related to the blood
Inherited metabolic disorder
- A disorder that affects the production of energy within individual human cells
Neonatal
– involving a newborn infant up to the age of four weeks
Neurological problems
- Problems related to the brain or nervous system
NICU
– Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Obstetrics
- The medical science that deals with birth
Placenta previa
– pregnancy complication in which the placenta fully or partially covers the cervical opening
Placental abruption
- Pregnancy complicated by the separation of the placenta from the uterus
Preeclampsia
– also celled toxemia; pregnancy complication signaled by high blood pressure, swelling and protein in urine
Premature labor
– labor that begins 36 weeks or sooner after the first day of a woman’s last period
Toxoplasmosis
– infectious disease caused by a parasite in cat feces or improperly cooked meat