Here鈥檚 a jargon busting guide for some of the medical terms you鈥檒l hear about when you鈥檙e pregnant.
Trimester: A full-term pregnancy is around 40 weeks and is divided into three stages. Doctors and medical staff will refer to each of these stages as 鈥榯rimesters鈥 and in each trimester, mum鈥檚 body goes through different physical and hormonal changes as baby grows. In summary: tri-mester. Like triple. Three. More than two, less than four鈥 Okay, you got it already.
Morning Sickness: Despite its name, it鈥檚 not just a morning thing. It鈥檚 believed to be caused by hormone and blood sugar changes in mum鈥檚 body. These hormone changes can affect mum鈥檚 sense of taste and smell which can trigger vomiting. Keeping a list of triggers on the fridge can help avoid any accidental smelly cooking. In summary: Morning Sickness鈥r Pass the bucket.
Engaged: No not a blingy ring in this case. 鈥楨ngaged鈥 is the term medics use when the baby is in the right position to be born. It means that their head has moved down to fit within the pelvis ready to be delivered. In summary: Engaged鈥 and ready to roll.
C Section: Short for caesarean section - is an operation where baby is delivered through a cut in the tummy. Sometimes it鈥檚 planned, other times it鈥檚 done last minute if baby鈥檚 in distress or mum鈥檚 becoming unwell. If a C-section is unplanned, it can feel a bit scary as things can move quite quickly. But the medical teams are experts, so try not to worry. It won鈥檛 always be possible for dads to come into the operating theatre, but in most cases it鈥檚 okay. And before you know it, you鈥檒l be saying hello to your little gurgling, or screaming in many cases, bundle of joy. In summary: The C- section鈥.AKA through the sunroof.
So, that鈥檚 three phrases explained, but if your health care professionals use a term that you don't understand throughout your pregnancy, ask them to explain it.
When you become pregnant, it can feel a bit like you're learning a whole new language of medical terms.
But it doesn't need to be too difficult - here are a few you're likely to come across. If you're unsure of any words being used about your pregnancy, remember to ask your midwife or GP.
