Birth Acronyms & Terms

Pregnancy & Birth
Written By Rebecca Maidansky

Birth terms can be so confusing. The acronyms and letters used to describe relatively straightforward concepts can leave your head spinning! This blog post is going to keep it simple and easy by defining common birth terms and acronyms that come up during prenatal and postpartum visits!

Pregnancy related

  • Amniotic Fluid: the protective fluid surrounding your baby in the uterus

  • Antenatal: during pregnancy, before birth, also known as prenatal

  • Braxton Hicks: contractions felt during pregnancy that can be confused for but are not labor contractions, they occur irregularly, are less intense than labor contractions, may occur more frequently if you are dehydrated and should go away on their own

  • Chemical Pregnancy: a very early miscarriage that occurs in the first 5 weeks of pregnancy, human chorionic gonadotrophic (hCG) hormone levels rising will result in a positive pregnancy test and levels will fall when the embryo is no longer developing

  • Cephalopelvic Disproportion (CPD): Occurs when there is a mismatch in size between the birth person’s pelvis and size of the fetal head, CPD can contribute to “failure to progress”

  • Ectopic Pregnancy: occurs when the fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus, typically in the fallopian tube, this is also known as a tubal pregnancy

  • Failure to progress: occurs when labor slows and does not progress as quickly as expected, which can occur for a number of reasons including CPD, fetal malpositioning or shoulder dystocia, weak uterine contractions as well as a number of other causes.

  • Fundus: the top of the uterus

  • Gestation: the process of development occurring in the uterus before birth

  • Gravida: used to describe someone who is pregnant, the number associated with gravidity defines the number of pregnancies someone has had

  • Multiparous/multip: someone having given birth more than once

  • Nulliparous: someone who has never been pregnant

  • Placenta Accretia: a condition where the placenta grows too deeply into the uterus

  • Placenta Previa: a condition where the placenta covers part of all of the cervix

  • Postpartum: the state of someone who has given birth, someone may be considered early postpartum for 1-2 years

  • Prenatal: the stage of someone during pregnancy, also known as antenatal

  • Primiparious: someone who has given birth once

  • TTC: trying to conceive

Birth related

  • Anterior Lip: a cervical lip occurs when the cervix is fully dilated but a portion of the cervix remains, the anterior lip is the most common

  • APGAR Score: a widely accepted score given to represent the health of the baby at birth, APGAR stands for: appearance, pulse, grimace, activity and respiration

  • C-section: cesarean birth, birth occurring via cesarean section or abdominal surgery

  • Dilation: the opening of the cervix during labor, 10cm dilation is considered fully dilated

  • Effacement: the thinning of the cervix occurring during labor

  • Engagement: the stage of birth where the babies head moves into the pelvis in preparation for birth

  • GTPAL:

    • Gravidity: number of pregnancies someone has had, including current pregnancy if pregnant

    • Term: number of pregnancies carried for 37 weeks

    • Preterm: number of pregnancies carried to 20-36 weeks

    • Abortion: number of pregnancy losses before 20 weeks

    • Living: number of living children

  • HBAC: home birth after cesarean

  • Induction: the process of using medication or other methods to cause labor to begin

  • Lochia: vaginal discharge after birth, a combination of blood, mucus and uterine tissue

  • Stages of labor:

    • Stage I: this is the longest stage of labor, begins when you start feeling persistent contractions and ends when you are fully dilated, further broken down into early and active labor

      • Early labor: the onset of labor when the cervix dilates from 3-6 cm, contractions occurring every 5-15 minutes

      • Active Labor: contractions become more intense and consistent, cervix continues to dilate, this stage ends when the cervix dilates to 10cm

    • Stage II: the push phase of labor

    • Stage III: after the baby is born, the delivery of the placenta

  • Fetal Station: the level of the baby’s head in the pelvis, negative numbers (–5 through -1) are above the ischial spine and positive numbers (+1 through +5) are below the ischial spine

  • TOLAC: trial of labor after cesarean

  • Transition: the transition between second to third stage of labor

  • VBAC: vaginal birth after cesarean

  • VBA2C: vaginal birth after two cesareans

  • 2VBAC: second vaginal birth after cesarean

To learn more about how pelvic floor PT can help you manage pregnancy pains, prepare for birth or recover postpartum, give us a call at 512-766-2649 or send us a message today!

This post was written by Dr. Rebecca Maidansky, PT, DPT, owner and founder of Lady Bird Physical Therapy. Rebecca is a pelvic floor physical therapist in Austin, TX and founded Lady Bird Physical Therapy in 2019. She is the creator of Birth Preparation and Postpartum Planning, Baby Steps Fitness and the head writer and editor of The Pelvic Press.

Rebecca is a passionate writer and vocal advocate for pelvic health and the importance of improving access to perinatal care. She believes strongly that many common pregnancy pains and postpartum symptoms can be eased or even prevented with basic education and care.

She created this blog to help all birthing people manage common pregnancy pains, prepare for birth and recover postpartum.

Rebecca Maidansky
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