Pregnancy Archives - Page 11 of 12

Pregnancy and Labor Related Terms Simplified

As if pregnancy and labor aren’t confusing enough, doctors, midwives, and even other mothers seem to insist on using terminology many first-time mothers have no clue what means. Dilated? Softened? +1, 2, or 3? What does all this mean? This article will look at many pregnancy and labor-related terms and explain their meaning in common language. Most of the terms you likely won’t know what mean during your pregnancy will begin to pop up in the third trimester as your body prepares for labor or may not be mentioned until during your labor.

Dilation:

Dilation is a term you may hear towards the end of your pregnancy. This term is in regard to your cervix. Your cervix is a tube-like structure connecting your vaginal canal and your uterus where your baby is. Your baby will pass through your cervix during delivery. As labor approaches, your cervix begins to open preparing to allow your baby out. Dilation refers to how open your cervix has become. This term will be used in conjuncture with a number in cm. For instance, your doctor may say, “You are 2 cm dilated.” This means that your cervix is open 2 cm or about two fingers in width. For reference, when you are in the final stages of your labor and begin to push your cervix will be open or dilated to 10 cm.

Effacement:

Effacement is a sister term to dilation that is also in regard to your cervix. As your cervix opens, it will also thin and become shorter. Your doctor may say something like, “You are 1 cm dilated and 20 percent effaced.” This would mean your cervix is open one cm, or around one finger’s width, and has thinned 20 percent of its original size. Before your baby is delivered your cervix will efface to 100 percent making it paper-thin.

Soft/Hard Cervix:

While these may be words you have heard before, they have a different meaning when your doctor says them. This is yet another term in reference to the condition of your cervix. While your cervix dilates and thins it also becomes softer because of these changes. Your doctor saying your cervix is firm or hard would simply mean it has not begun to change. If your doctor says your cervix is soft, it means it has begun to prepare for labor.

Engaged/Lightening:

The term engagement or lightening of your baby means that he or she has dropped further into your pelvis in preparation for delivery. This usually occurs in the last few weeks of your pregnancy. You may notice you breathe easier or your belly changed shape.

Station:

(+1, -2, 0, etc.): This term is usually used in conjunction with the term engaged or lightening. Station refers to your baby’s position in your womb in reference to two bony spines on your pelvis and can vary from a +3 to a -3. A -3, -2, or -1 station means that your baby has not yet dropped into your pelvis or engaged and is 3-1 cm above the bony spurs in your pelvis depending on the corresponding number. 0 Station means that the baby is level with the bone spurs and has dropped. +3, +2, or +1 mean the baby is 3-1 cm below the bony spurs in your pelvis. Positive stations indicate a move towards the cervix and usually mean labor is imminent.

So to combine this term with other terminology it regularly is used with, you may hear something like this in the final week of your pregnancy, “You are soft 2 cm dilated, 45 percent effaced and your baby is at -1”. This means your cervix is soft or ready for labor, open 2 cms, thinned 45 percent of its original size and your baby is 1 cm above the bones in your pelvis. All of this information is an attempt to estimate when labor will occur. While being very dilated, effaced, and soft with a zero station is a pretty good indication labor is near, it’s not a guarantee.

Posterior/Anterior:

These terms refer to the way the baby is facing. This isn’t particularly important until during your labor. Posterior means that the baby is facing up with the back of its head against your spine or posterior region, rather than anterior or facing down with the back of the head against your tummy. In a normal labor, a baby faces down making it easier to pass through the birth canal. A baby that is facing posterior can be delivered but may increase the risk of c-section and will result in more back pain for you during delivery.

Breech Position:

Breech position is another term used to describe the position your baby is in. The ideal position for a baby to be in at the time of labor is called vertex position meaning the baby is head down in the uterus. Breech position or breech means that the baby is feet or butt down rather than head down. When the feet are down and one or both feet will exit the cervix first this is called a footling breech. When the butt is down, but the feet and legs are folded up by the head this is called a frank breech, and finally, if the butt and feet are down in almost a kneeling position this is called complete breech. A breech delivery of any kind does not necessarily mean a c-section will be needed, but it does increase the chance dramatically. Most healthcare providers will try to turn a baby that is in a breech position when labor approaches.

Traverse Position:

Traverse position, which may just be called traverse, means that the baby is laying sideways or shoulder/arm down towards the cervix. Sadly, traverse-positioned babies almost always result in a c-section if they can’t be turned before labor begins.

Crowning:

Finally, crowning, crowing, or crowned means your baby’s head is visible to your doctor outside of your vagina during delivery. This means the baby is almost out, and you’re almost done.

While there are certainly more terms you may hear during your pregnancy and labor these are the most common and the most misunderstood terminologies. Hopefully, this article has left you feeling more in the loop.

Boy or Girl Ultrasound Wrong? Gender Scan Accuracy

Already being the mom of two little boys, I was admittedly a bit disappointed at my 16-week ultrasound with my third child when the tech said she thought the baby was a boy. I was thrilled, of course, he was healthy, but still, deep down, I was hoping for a girl.

Looking at my ultrasound photo, which you can see below. I would agree. My baby looked like a boy, but I did note the ultrasound photos looked different from images of my other two sons at about the same gestational age. I started doubting gender scan accuracy and wondering if ultrasounds can be wrong. After looking to the internet for answers, it turns out that early ultrasound photos are often mistaken. Even though, in the end, my baby was actually a boy, here’s hope for all those who are hoping for a verdict of “ultrasound wrong.”

Boy Ultrasound Wrong: How in the heck could a girl look like a boy?

There are two ways a girl can be mistaken for a boy in early ultrasound photos. The first is simple. The ultrasound tech or doctor sees an umbilical cord between the legs and mistakes it for male genitalia. This can actually happen at any gestational age, making a clear image pretty important if you plan to buy non-neutral gender baby goods.

Second, many parents are aware that all babies start off appearing as the same sex. The misconception is that all babies begin with genitals that resemble female anatomy, and if there is a dangly thing between the legs, you have a boy. That isn’t the case. During the early weeks of external gender development, both male and female babies have a dangly part down there as well as a bulbous area. You can see a clear visual aid and explanation here.

Somewhere between 9 and 12 weeks, the “dangly” part in the center forms the clitoris of a girl or the penis of a boy. The bulbous area becomes either a scrotum or labia. This means a, say, 11-week shot with a clear sack-like shape and tiny dot in the middle that looks a little like the “turtle head” image said to indicate a boy could be a girl still in development. It’s because of this that gender scan accuracy is greater after the 20^th week when, in the majority of babies that have been accurately aged, external-sex organ development is complete, and the baby is larger.

Girl Ultrasound Wrong: Can a girl turn out to be a boy then?

It’s less common to be told your baby is a girl based on a gender scan and actually end up with a boy, but it does happen. For example, if the image isn’t very clear or from a bad angle, there may not appear to be male genitalia even if there is. Inexperienced techs often assume no penis means a girl. For a confirmed girl ultrasound, typically, you want to see three lines indicating the shape of a vagina. Again, this is why 3D ultrasound is generally more accurate in predicting gender.

gender ultrasound accuracy — characteristic three-line girl ultrasound at 17 weeks

Can you tell if a baby is a girl or boy by ultrasound before the 20-week mark?

You can’t get much more than a guess, a solid guess if you are approaching 20 weeks. In all four of my pregnancies, gender was very clear by 16-17 weeks. There is also the angle of the dangle theory.

It suggests between 12 and 15 weeks, when looking at a side view, if the dangly middle part is at a 30-degree angle or greater with the spine, your baby is likely a boy. If it’s 30 degrees or under, then you likely have a girl. The 30 degree on the dot mark leaves you still without hints. Basically, is the dangle pointing more up towards your baby’s head (boy) or down at the toes (girl)? Either way, this guess is still only about 50% accurate. With these early scans, normal Doppler ultrasounds are recommended. After the 20^th week, 3D ultrasounds are generally more accurate.

If you are experiencing a bit of gender disappointment, have faith, my fourth child was a girl!

If you enjoyed, “Boy or Girl Ultrasound Wrong? Gender Scan Accuracy,” you might also like:

Baby Gender Prediction Quiz based on the science of gender swaying

Can Pregnancy Symptoms Predict Gender?

How Gender is Determined

External Gender Development

Pain Management During Labor isn’t for Pansies: A Logical Look at the Epidrual Debate

I’ve had four babies, and it seems anytime I get towards the end of my pregnancy and the big L-day is near, people start talking about pain management during labor, epidurals being the most common conversation piece. The world of epidural opinions is pretty evenly divided into those that are pro-drugs and those that are anti-drugs with very little middle-grounders. Myself sitting on the pro-epidural side, I find the anti-epidural moms tend to be pushier. They seem to feel they are validated in their opinion in a you’re-putting-yourself-and-your-baby-in-danger sort of way, and somehow came to the conclusion that’s their business. I don’t think that’s fair or their business. I don’t think a new mother needs people making her feel like a bad mom for wanting pain relief during labor. More over, I don’t feel the anti-epidural debates are validated.

Let’s take a look at the anti-epidural debate one point at a time.

I can feel the beauty

The labor process is a beautiful thing everyone should experience.
A baby is a beautiful thing. The labor process is nasty, gooey, and most notably, really freakin’ painful. I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would want to feel that, and someone who has experienced it trying to convince someone it’s something beautiful that they need to experience, is just sadistic — and that’s coming from someone who has experienced it. It’s like saying, “here drive a nail through your palm, it’s beautiful.”

Women have been giving birth for hundreds of years without pain medication.
Yes, and you know what? Before we had things like anesthesia, people had limbs amputated without pain medication, too — for hundreds of years even. Are you going to tell a car accident victim who needs their leg removed that they shouldn’t use pain medication because for hundreds of years people didn’t? This “hundreds of years” argument is often brought up by the same women who quietly call those of us that don’t enjoy excruciating pain weak or wussies. You can reference that car accident victim again in that case.

Epidurals slow the labor process.
There was a time when this was believed to be fact. However, more recent studies on the subject have shown epidurals to have no effect on labor duration. Others have shown a marginal increase in labor time (less than 1 hour). Earlier studies indicated waiting until you are dilated to at least 4 cm would eliminate this concern. In short, studies have mixed results. The question is does the possible even marginally increased labor time shown in some studies hurt you or your baby? The answer is no.

not just a fashion statement…

You won’t be able to feel the contractions to push.
This may or may not be true. It really depends on how your body handles the epidural. Some women indeed have trouble feeling contractions, others don’t. This is irrelevant, however, because modern labors are monitored, meaning you can see when you’re having a contraction by watching a machine, you don’t need to feel them.

Epidurals are dangerous to mom and baby.
There is no scientific evidence to support this claim. Rates of C-section are not higher with epidurals. Apgar scores in babies that are delivered with an epidural are not lower. Mothers who received epidurals are not at a higher risk for depression or any other condition. Some women do report nausea, shivering, injection site pain, and difficulty urinating shortly after having an epidural, but you should hear what women without pain management during labor report. Other than that, about 1% of women experience extreme headaches as a result of procedure error—not the epidural itself. In very rare cases, like 1 in 80,000 to 230,000 rare, permanent nerve damage can occur.

In the end, much like with most choices as a parent, epidurals fall under the personal-preference category. Opting for an epidural for pain relief during labor does not mean you’re weak. It doesn’t pose notable risk to you or your baby. Personally, I’d say the few possible side effects do not outweigh the pain relief. I will have an epidural with my next baby as well, and it doesn’t make me a weaker woman or a bad mom.