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First-time parent glossary
This glossary uses plain language on purpose. Hospitals and clinicians sometimes use slightly different words for the same idea, so the point here is not perfection; it is to make the next conversation easier to follow 1.
Pregnancy and labor
- Braxton Hicks: practice contractions that can feel convincing without meaning labor is progressing.
- Dilation: how open the cervix is.
- Effacement: how thin the cervix has become.
- Engagement: when the baby’s head settles lower into the pelvis.
- Induction: starting labor medically instead of waiting for spontaneous labor.
- Augmentation: helping an already-started labor move along.
- Membrane sweep: a clinician separating the membranes near the cervix to try to encourage labor.
- Epidural: pain relief given near the spinal nerves during labor.
- Cesarean or C-section: delivery through abdominal surgery.
- VBAC: vaginal birth after a cesarean delivery.
- Preterm: before 37 weeks of pregnancy.
- Term: when pregnancy has reached the usual window for birth.
Hospital and newborn care
- Golden hour: the early stretch after birth when skin-to-skin and first feeding often happen if parent and baby are stable.
- Rooming-in: keeping the baby in the same room rather than in a nursery.
- NICU: neonatal intensive care unit.
- Meconium: the first dark, sticky newborn stool.
- Jaundice: yellowing of the skin or eyes caused by bilirubin buildup.
- Phototherapy: light treatment used for some cases of jaundice.
- Room temperature: a reminder that babies do not need a sauna, even when adults are cold.
Feeding
- Latch: how the baby attaches to the breast.
- Cluster feeding: several feeds close together, common in the newborn period.
- Paced feeding: bottle-feeding in a slower, pause-friendly way.
- Supply: milk production.
- Combination feeding: using more than one feeding method, such as breastfeeding plus formula.
- Cue-based feeding: feeding in response to early hunger cues rather than waiting for crying to start.
- Colostrum: the first milk, usually small in volume but rich in antibodies and nutrients.
- Formula-fed: fed with infant formula rather than human milk.
Development and daily life
- Tummy time: awake, supervised time on the stomach to build strength.
- Wake window: the stretch of time a baby is usually awake between sleeps.
- Purple crying: a pattern of increased crying in early infancy that can be intense but still fall within normal development.
- Regression: a temporary change, often in sleep or feeding, around a developmental shift.
- Milestone: a skill or behavior many babies reach around a certain age, with a lot of normal variation.
- Corrected age: age adjusted for prematurity when looking at development.
- Babyproofing: making the environment less able to surprise everyone.
- Solids: complementary foods introduced in addition to milk feeds.
- Allergen: a food that can trigger an allergic reaction in some children.
Regional and admin terms
- Coverage: the system that decides what is paid for and how.
- Leave: time away from work after birth, which may be protected, paid, or both depending on where you live.
- Referral: a clinician-to-clinician handoff to get specialty care.
- After-hours line: the number to call when the office is closed.