| COMMON MEDICAL ABBREVIATIONS & TERMS IN MATERNITY CARE | ||
| AFI | Amniotic fluid index. An ultrasound measure of how much fluid is round the baby in the womb | |
| AFP | Alphafetoprotein. A substance found in the blood of pregnant women used to identify women at higher risk of some abnormalities. | |
| Alb | Albumen. A specific form of protein in the blood sometimes found in the urine when the kidneys are upset such as with pre-eclampsia. | |
| Antenatal | The time before the baby is born. | |
| APH | Antepartum haemorrhage. Bleeding from the womb before the baby is born. | |
| BPP or Biophysical profile | Ultrasound test to look at the baby's movement pattern and the fluid around the baby to check that the baby is not stressed. | |
| BP | Blood pressure. | |
| Br | Breech the baby is bottom down in the womb. | |
| Ceph | Short for Cephalic, meaning that the baby is head down in the womb. | |
| CS (or LUSCS or LSCS) | Caesarean section (LUSCS and LSCS stand for Lower [uterine] segment caesarean section. This is the most common type of caesarean where the cut on the womb is across the lower part of the womb, which heals well with a strong scar). | |
| CTG | Cardiotocograph (a technique to record the baby's heart beat rate to check that the baby is well). | |
| EDD | Expected date of delivery of the baby. | |
| Eng or E | Short for 'engaged' meaning that the biggest part of the baby's head has gone into your pelvis. | |
| Epis | Episiotomy - a cut made at the entrance to the vagina to ease the delivery of the baby's head. | |
| FD | Forceps delivery. Sometimes MCFD or LCFD meaning mid or low cavity forceps delivery respectively. This indicates how high the baby's head was in the pelvis when the forceps were used. | |
| FH | Fetal heart | |
| FHHR | Fetal heart heard and regular | |
| FMF | Fetal movement felt | |
| Fundus | The top of the womb | |
| Fe | Iron eg. for iron tablets | |
| GTT | Glucose tolerance test. A test where the mother is given a glucose drink and the blood levels of glucose measured after it. This screens for types of diabetes | |
| Hb | Haemoglobin. An indication of the mother's blood count for anaemia, normally above 10.5g% in pregnancy. | |
| Hypertension | High blood pressure. | |
| Hypotension | Low blood pressure. | |
| IOL | Induction of labour. | |
| IUGR | Intrauterine growth restriction. Where a baby is smaller than it should be for the stage in pregnancy due to its growth being impaired. | |
| LMP | Last menstrual period. | |
| Lie | The way the baby is lying in the womb for example longitudinal lie where the baby is lying vertically in the mother's womb or transverse where he baby is lying horizontally across the womb | |
| MSU or MSSU | Mid-stream specimen of urine. | |
| Multip | Multiparous. A women who has had more than one pregnancy and delivery. A 'grand multip' is a woman with 4 or more previous pregnancies and deliveries. | |
| NAD | No abnormality detected. | |
| OA | Occipito-anterior. The back of your baby's head is pointing to the front of your pelvis. | |
| OP | Occipito-posterior. The back of your baby's head is pointing to the back of your pelvis. | |
| OT | Occipito-transverse. The back of your baby's head is pointing to the one or other side of your pelvis. | |
| Oedema or Edema | Swelling of the soft tissues such as round the ankles due to fluid retention | |
| Palpation | When the doctor or midwife examines your abdomen by moving their hands over it to determine the size, lie and presentation of the baby. | |
| Para 1, para 2, para 3 | A women with 1, 2 or 3 previous pregnancies and deliveries. | |
| PET | Pre-eclampsia. | |
| Perineum | The area of skin between you vagina and anus. | |
| Postnatal | The period after the birth of the baby. | |
| PPH | Post-partum haemorrhage. Bleeding from the womb or vagina after delivery | |
| Presentation or PP (presenting part) | The way the baby is pointing to the pelvis for example cephalic if the head is pointing to the pelvis or breech if its bottom is pointing into the pelvis. | |
| Primigravida or prim or para 0 | A woman in her first pregnancy | |
| Premature or preterm | Before 37 weeks of pregnancy | |
| Puerperium | The first six weeks after the delivery | |
| Quickening | The first movements of the baby usually felt about 18-20 weeks. | |
| Rh | Rhesus blood group | |
| SFD | Small for dates | |
| SROM | Spontaneous rupture of the membranes. | |
| Term | Between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy. The normal stage at which delivery occurs. | |
| U/S | Ultrasound. | |
| UTI | Urinary tract infection. | |
| VE | Vaginal examination. | |
| Vx or Vertex | The vertex is the crown of the baby's head | |