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Week 1: Common Terms Used in Maternal and Paediatric Nursing

SN Term Definition
1. After pain Cramp like pains caused by contraction of the uterus after
childbirth
2. Amenorrhea Absence or suppression of menstruation; normally before
puberty, during pregnancy and lactation and after
menopause
3. Antepartum Before birth

4. Dyschezia Difficult or painful defecation

5. Dysmenorrhea Discomfort and pain during menstrual period

6. Dyspareunia Genital pain associated with sexual intercourse

7. Dysuria Discomfort and pain associated with urination

8. Gestation/ The completed weeks of pregnancy (not month). The

Gestational age actual time from the conception to birth that the fetus
remains in the uterus.
9. Gravida A woman who is pregnant

10. Intrapartum During childbirth

11. Meconium First stool of the newborn; a mixture of amniotic fluid and
secretions of the intestinal tract.
12. Metrorrhagia Uterine bleeding at irregular intervals, particularly
between the expected menstrual periods. 
13. Multigravida A woman who has had two or more pregnancies

14. Nulligravida A woman who has never been pregnant

15. Neonate A child under 28 days of age

16. Oligomenorrhea Infrequent menstrual periods (fewer than six to eight

periods per year)
17. Para A woman who has given birth to one or more children who
reached the age of viability (24 weeks of gestation)
18. Postdate/post term Pregnancy that goes beyond 42 weeks of gestation

19. Postpartum After birth

20. Preterm The number of pregnancies that ended after 24 weeks and
before 37 completed weeks of gestation
21. Primigravida A woman who is pregnant for the first time

22. Puerperium The period after delivery until involution of the uterus is
complete; usually 6 weeks.

AY2023 April Semester (1WCH) Week 1 Tutorial

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23. Quickening The first fetal movements felt by the pregnant woman,
usually between 16 and 20 weeks
24. Stillbirth A baby born after 24 weeks of gestation showing no signs
of life at delivery
25. Term The number of pregnancies that ended at 37 completed
weeks to 42 weeks of gestation
26. Viability The ability of the fetus to survive independently from 24
weeks of gestation
27. Birth rate Number of live births per 1000 population

28. Breech presentation A birth in which the buttocks or feet present instead of the
head
29. Cephalic presentation A birth in which the fetal head presents against the cervix

30. Cervical incompetence A mechanic defect in the cervix, resulting in spontaneous

abortion
31. Cervical dilatation An expansion of the cervical os that allows passage of the
fetus and products of conception
32. Crowning Appearance of presenting part of fetal head at the vaginal
orifice during labour
33. Infant mortality rate The number of deaths of infants under 1 year of age per
1000 live birth in a given population per year
34. Maternal mortality rate The number of maternal deaths from any cause during the
pregnancy cycle per 100,000 live births
35. Neonatal mortality risk The infant’s chance of death within the newborn period
(28 days of life)
36. Nullipara A woman who has not completed a pregnancy with a fetus
or foetuses beyond 24 weeks of gestation
37. Perinatal loss Death of a fetus or infant from the time of conception
through the end of the newborn period 28 days after birth

AY2023 April Semester (1WCH) Week 1 Tutorial