Chapter 3 Flashcards
neonates
the term used for newborns
corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)
triggers (for some still unknown reason) the release of various hormones, and the process
that leads to birth begins.
first stage of labor
the uterine contractions initially occur
around every 8 to 10 minutes and last about 30 seconds.
transition.
the final part of the first stage of labor, the contractions
increase to their greatest
intensity, a period known
as
second stage of labor
typically lasts around 90 minutes, the baby’s
head emerges further from the mother with each contraction, increasing the size of the vaginal
opening
episiotomy
an incision sometimes made to
increase the size of the opening
of the vagina to allow the baby
to pass
third stage of labor
occurs when the child’s umbilical cord (still attached to
the neonate) and the placenta are expelled from the mother. This stage is the quickest
and
easiest, taking just a few minutes.
Apgar scale
a standard measurement
system that looks for a variety
of indications of good health in
newborns
A - appearance (colour)
P - pulse (heart rate)
G - grimace (reflex irritability)
A - activity (muscle tone)
R - respiratory (respiratory effect)
anoxia
a restriction of oxygen to the baby,
lasting a few minutes during the
birth process, that can produce
brain damage
bonding
close physical and emotional
contact between parent and child
during the period immediately
following birth, argued by some to
affect later relationship strength
Lamaze birthing techniques
Typically,
mothers-to-be participate in a series of weekly training sessions in which they learn
exercises that help them relax various parts of the body on command. A “coach,”
most typically the father, is trained along with the future mother. The training allows
women to cope with painful contractions by concentrating on their breathing and
producing a relaxation response, rather than by tensing up, which can make the pain
more acute. Women learn to focus on a relaxing stimulus, such as a tranquil scene
in a picture. The goal is to learn how to deal positively with pain and to relax at the
onset of a contraction
Bradley method
“husbandcoached
childbirth,” is based on the principle that childbirth should be as natural
as possible and involve no medication or medical interventions. Women are taught
to “tune into” their bodies in order to deal with the pain of childbirth
Hypnobirthing
It involves
a form of self-hypnosis during delivery that produces a sense of peace and
calm, thereby reducing pain. The basic concept is to produce a state of focused
concentration
in which a mother relaxes her body while focusing inward.
Water Birthing
water birthing
is a
practice in which a woman enters a pool of warm water to give birth. The theory is
that the warmth and buoyancy of the water is soothing, easing the length and pain
of labor and childbirth, and the entry into the world is soothed for the infant, who
moves from the watery environment of the womb to the birthing pool
obstetricians
physicians who specialize in delivering babies
midwife
a childbirth attendant who stays with the mother throughout labor and delivery
doula
trained to provide emotional, physiological, and educational support during birth
epidural anastesia
produces numbness from the waist down
walking epidural/ dual spinal epidural
a form of anesthesia where smaller needles and a system for administering continuous doses of anesthesis is used
preterm infants
infants who are born prior to
38 weeks after conception (also
known as premature infants)
low-birthweight infants
infants who weigh less than
2,500 grams (around 5 1/2 pounds)
at birth
small-for-gestational-age infants
infants who, because of
delayed fetal growth, weigh 90
percent (or less) of the average
weight of infants of the same
gestational age
very-low-birthweight infants
infants who weigh less than 1,250
grams (around 2.25 pounds) or,
regardless of weight, have been in
the womb less than 30 weeks
age of viability
the point at which an infant can
survive prematurely, to about 22 weeks—some 4 months earlier than the term of a normal
delivery.
