| Braxton Hicks Contractions |
Irregular or "practice" contractions starting around the eighth month that prepare the uterus for labor. May be painless and intense. |
Baby Blues
(Postpartum Depression) |
Mild depression that may last a couple of weeks following childbirth, usually the result of dramatic hormonal swings and the letdown after the excitement of labor and birth. See postpartum depression. |
Bag of Waters
(Membranes, Amniotic Sac) |
Sac filled with amniotic fluid in which the fetus grows, which may rupture naturally as labor begins or be punctured to speed up labor. |
| Bilirubin |
Bilirubin is a byproduct of the normal breakdown of old red blood cells. It causes a harmless type of jaundice in about 50 percent of newborns because their young livers can't metabolize it quickly enough. |
Birth Canal
(Vagina) |
The passageway -- made up of the cervix, vagina, and vulva -- the baby travels through during birth. |
| Birthing Room |
A place designed and equipped for women giving birth. Some are in hospitals, others are totally separate facilities. |
| Blastocyst |
The rapidly dividing fertilized egg when it enters the uterus. |
| Bloody Show |
The discharge - often mucus tinged with blood - that appears as labor approaches. Sometimes refers to light bleeding, other times is used to mean the mucus plug that dislodges when the cervix begins to efface and/or dilate. |
| Bradycardia |
Slow heartbeat, usually less than 60 beats per minute. |
| Breast Pump |
A device to extract milk from a mother's breasts so she can feed her infant later with a bottle. Pumps range from inexpensive manual models to powerful industrial-strength machines that can pump both breasts at the same time within a few minutes. |
Breech Position
(Breech Presentation) |
When the baby's bottom or feet - rather than the head - face the mother's cervix as labor nears. Three to four percent of full-term babies are positioned this way. |
Breech Presentation
(Breech Position) |
When the baby's bottom or feet -- rather than the head -- face the mother's cervix as labor nears. Three to four percent of full-term babies are positioned this way. |
MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information Index
