Fundamentals of Midwifery: A Textbook for Students (71 page)

Local anaesthetic
A reduction or removal of sensation in a particular area of the body.
Mechanism of labour
Manoeuvres which the fetus undertakes in order to move through the birth canal.
Meconium
The first stools of a newborn baby, which are sticky and dark green, composed of cellular debris, mucus and bile pigments.
Mortality
Death.
Oxytocin
A hormone released by the posterior pituitary gland, which causes uterine contraction and stimulates milk flow.
Partogram
A graphical record of the progress of labour.
Philanthropic
Benevolent, humane.
Purple line
A purple line, seen from the anal margin and extending between the buttocks.
Skin-to-skin
Baby being placed naked, skin-to-skin on mother or father immediately after birth.
Transitional phase
Moving between one phase of labour to another.
Uterotonic
Drugs that cause contraction of the uterine muscle.
References
Albers, L., Sedler, K., Bedrick, E., Teaf, D., Peralta, P. (2005) Midwifery care measures in the second stage of labour and reduction of genital tract trauma at birth: A randomised trial.
Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health
50 (5), pp. 365–372.Anderson, G.C., Moore, E., Hepworth, J., Bergman, N. (2006) Early skin to skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants.
The Cochrane Database of systematic reviews Issue 3