Some medical terms can sound clinical or impersonal, but they don’t reflect how your care team sees you, your pregnancy, or your baby.
These terms are often used as an easy way for care teams to communicate clearly. They are not meant to take away from your experience or the importance of your baby.
If a word feels uncomfortable or confusing, you or your support person can ask your care team to use a different term that feels better for you.
Antenatal care | Regular medical care check-ups and support during pregnancy to help keep both the mother and baby healthy. |
Bereavement Midwife or Perinatal Loss Midwife | A midwife who supports families around the time a baby dies during pregnancy or soon after birth. |
Birth trauma | Physical or emotional pain (or a combination of both) caused by difficult birth. It can affect both the woman and their partner. |
Bonding | The emotional connection between parents and their baby. This can feel different or more complicated after loss. |
Cervical cerclage | A surgical procedure where a small stitch or band is placed around the cervix (the opening to the womb) to help stop early labour. |
Cervical length monitoring | A scan during pregnancy to measure the length of the cervix to check for signs of early labour. |
Cervical shortening | When the cervix becomes shorter than usual during pregnancy (less than 25 millimetres long), which may increase the risk of early labour. |
Caesarean section (C-section) | A surgical procedure where a baby is born through an incision in the abdomen in an operating theatre. This may be planned before labour starts (elective) or decided during labour (unplanned). |
Complex pregnancy | A pregnancy that needs extra care because of health concerns for the mother or baby. |
Conception | When a sperm and egg join to start a pregnancy. |
Congenital anomaly | A health condition a baby is born with that affects how their body works or grows. |
Continuity of care or carer | Getting care from the same person or team throughout your pregnancy, birth and after your baby is born. |
Disenfranchised grief | Grief that isn’t always recognised or supported by others, even though it is very real. |
Early pregnancy loss | When a pregnancy ends in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. This term usually includes miscarriage, recurrent miscarriage, molar pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy and others. |
Fetal echocardiogram | A special ultrasound during pregnancy that looks closely at a baby’s heart. |
Fetal growth restriction or intrauterine growth restriction | When a baby is growing slower than expected during pregnancy and needs extra monitoring. |
Folic acid or folate | A vitamin that helps prevent problems in a baby’s brain and spine. It’s best taken before and during early pregnancy. |
Genetic counsellor | Talking with a trained healthcare professional about the chances of a baby having a genetic condition. |
GP (General Practitioner) | A doctor who provides general health care and can help with pregnancy and other health concerns. |
Gestation | How far along a pregnancy is. This is measured in weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period. |
Gestational diabetes | A type of diabetes that can happen during pregnancy and may affect mother and baby. |
Gravidity | The number of times a woman has been pregnant. |
High-risk pregnancy | A pregnancy with a higher chance of problems, needing extra care and monitoring. |
Induction of labour | Starting labour with medication or other methods when it doesn’t begin on its own. |
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) | A treatment where an egg and sperm are joined outside the body, then placed in the womb to start a pregnancy. |
Lactation Consultant | A healthcare professional who helps with breastfeeding, including problems like sore or low milk supply. |
Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist | A doctor who cares for women with high-risk pregnancies or babies with health concerns before birth. |
Midwifery continuity of care or carer | A care model where the same midwife or small team supports you through pregnancy, birth and after your baby is born. |
Miscarriage | A form of early pregnancy loss which happens in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. |
Model of care | The plan for how you’ll be cared for during pregnancy, birth and after. It includes who looks after you and where. |
Multi-disciplinary care | A team of different healthcare professionals working together to support you during pregnancy, birth and after your baby is born. |
Multiple pregnancy | A pregnancy with two or more babies. This can increase the chance of complications and special care may be needed. |
Newborn or neonatal death | When a baby dies within the first 28 days after birth. |
NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) | A special hospital unit where sick or premature babies get expert care all day, every day. |
PAL | Refers to a pregnancy after loss. |
PAL Clinic | Special clinics that give extra care and support to parents who are pregnant after a previous loss. |
Parity | The number of times a woman has given birth after 20 weeks of pregnancy, no matter the outcome. |
Perinatal loss or pregnancy and baby loss | The loss of a baby during pregnancy, during birth, or in the first 28 days after birth. Some parents prefer the term pregnancy and baby loss because it feels more personal or easier to understand. |
Pre-conception counselling | A health check-up before trying to get pregnant. It helps find and manage any health risks or concerns. |
Preeclampsia | A serious condition during pregnancy that causes high blood pressure and potential complications for both mother and baby. |
Progesterone | A naturally occurring hormone that supports pregnancy. It may be recommended to help stop early contractions and reduce the risk of early labour. |
Preterm birth | When a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. |
Rainbow baby | A baby born after a previous loss. Some people find this term comforting, like a rainbow after a storm. You don’t have to use this term and can ask your care team not to. |
Recurrent miscarriage | When someone has had two or more early pregnancy losses. These don’t have to happen one after the other. |
Routine antenatal screening | Standard tests and scans during pregnancy, such as blood tests and ultrasounds. This helps check the health of the mother and baby. |
Regional (or rural) hospital | Hospitals located outside large cities, often in country or remote areas. |
Shared decision making | When parents and healthcare professionals work together to make informed choices and decisions about care. |
Special care nursery (SCN) | A hospital unit where babies who need extra help, like feeding, breathing or growing, get special care. It’s for babies who aren’t as sick as those in the NICU but still need some support before going home. |
Spontaneous labour | When labour starts naturally, without medicine or other help. |
Spontaneous rupture of membranes (SROM) | When the water around the baby (amniotic sac) breaks on its own before or during labour. |
Stillbirth | When a baby dies before birth after 20 weeks of pregnancy. |
Tertiary hospital | A large hospital with expert doctors and special equipment for complex care, including high-risk pregnancies and newborn support. |
Ultrasound | A scan during pregnancy performed by a specialised doctor or sonographer. This helps check how the baby is growing and developing. |
Trauma-informed care | A way of giving care that understands how past trauma, like pregnancy and baby loss, can affect someone’s health and wellbeing. |
Vaginal birth | When a baby is born through the vagina (birth canal). |
VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean) | When someone gives birth vaginally after having had a caesarean in a previous pregnancy. |
Viability | The stage in pregnancy when a baby might survive outside the womb with medical help — usually around 23 to 24 weeks of pregnancy in Australia. |
