Labour and birth jargon explained

Terms

Active labour

The established stage of labour, with regular, strong contractions and steady dilation. Generally from around 4-6cm dilated until fully dilated. This is usually when it's worth heading to where you're planning to give birth, if you're not already there.

Amniotomy (ARM)

Breaking the waters on purpose, with a small hook, to help labour along. Also called artificial rupture of membranes. Sometimes offered to start or speed up labour. Like any intervention, it comes with an explanation and her consent, and the BRAIN questions apply.

Antenatal / postnatal

Antenatal means before birth, postnatal means after birth. Used throughout appointments, classes and notes. Antenatal care happens during pregnancy, postnatal care covers the weeks after.

APGAR score

A quick check on baby's colour, breathing, heart rate, reflexes and tone, just after birth. Scored out of 10 at one minute and five minutes old. Most babies don't get a perfect 10 straight away, and that's completely normal. It's a snapshot, not a verdict.

Assisted delivery

Birth helped along with forceps or ventouse (vacuum) when pushing needs a hand. Always done with consent and an explanation of why it's being suggested. Asking what it involves and why now is a reasonable first response.

Augmentation (Syntocinon drip)

A drip used to help speed up contractions that have slowed or stalled. Sometimes offered if labour isn't progressing as expected. Worth asking what it involves and what happens if you wait a bit longer first, same as any other suggestion.

Baby blues

A short spell of tearfulness or low mood in the first couple of weeks after birth, linked to hormone shifts. Very common and usually settles on its own within a couple of weeks. If low mood carries on longer or feels heavier than that, it's worth mentioning to a midwife, health visitor or GP.

Birth centre vs labour ward

Birth centre: midwife-led, home-like, for straightforward births. Labour ward: doctor-backed, where epidurals and theatre live. Many hospitals have both, sometimes on the same corridor. Wanting an epidural, or complications arising, usually means being on (or transferring to) the labour ward: worth knowing which your unit has before the day.

BRAIN

A memory aid for questions to ask before any decision: Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Instinct, Nothing. Useful whenever staff suggest something and there's time to think it through: what are the benefits, what are the risks, what are the alternatives, what does your gut say, and what happens if you do nothing for now.

Braxton Hicks

Practice tightenings of the womb before real labour starts. Usually irregular, not especially painful, and don't get steadily stronger or closer together the way real contractions do. Common from the second trimester onwards.

Caesarean (C-section)

A surgical birth through a cut in the tummy and womb. Can be planned in advance or decided during labour. Either way, it's still a birth. Recovery takes longer than a vaginal birth, so plan for extra rest and help at home.

Cannula

A thin plastic tube placed into a vein, usually on the hand or arm, so fluids or medicines can be given. Often fitted 'just in case' before an epidural, induction or caesarean. It looks more dramatic than it feels once it's in.

Catheter

A soft tube that drains the bladder when she can't get up to wee. Standard alongside an epidural or caesarean, because the numbness means she can't feel a full bladder. Removed once sensation and movement are back.

Cervical ripening

Softening and preparing the cervix so labour can start, usually the first step of an induction. Often done with a pessary, gel or balloon, and can take a day or more before contractions properly begin. Bring snacks and patience, because this stage is famously slow.

Cervix

The neck of the womb, which thins and opens during labour. Closed and firm through most of pregnancy, then softens, thins (effaces) and opens (dilates) as labour progresses.

Cluster feeding

Frequent, closely-spaced feeds, often in the evening, common in the early weeks. Can feel relentless in the moment but is a normal, well-known pattern in the early weeks, not a sign anything's wrong.

Colostrum

The first, thick milk a body makes before regular breast milk comes in. Often produced in small amounts from late pregnancy onwards, and is exactly the right amount for a newborn's tiny stomach in the first few days.

Continuous support

Having someone with you throughout labour (a partner, doula, or known midwife) rather than being left alone for long stretches. Research consistently shows this kind of steady, known presence is linked to a more positive birth experience. It's a genuine reason your being there matters.

Crowning

The moment baby's head becomes visible and is about to be born. Often described as a stinging or burning sensation just before birth: a sign things are very nearly there.

CTG (continuous monitoring)

A belt-and-sensor setup that tracks baby's heartbeat and her contractions continuously. Can mean less freedom to move around than intermittent checks. If mobility matters to her, it's worth asking whether wireless monitoring is available.

Delayed cord clamping

Waiting a short while after birth before the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. Often possible for both vaginal and caesarean births if there are no reasons to do otherwise: worth naming as a preference in advance.

Diamorphine

A strong opioid pain-relief injection used in some units during labour. Similar family to pethidine. It blurs pain and helps her rest rather than removing pain entirely, and can cause drowsiness or nausea. Timing near birth matters, which the team manages.

Dilation

The cervix opening up, measured in centimetres. 0cm is closed, 10cm is 'fully dilated': the point pushing usually begins. Progress isn't steady; it can stall for hours then move fast.

Doula

A trained, non-medical companion who supports someone through pregnancy, birth, or the early days: alongside, not instead of, medical staff. Doesn't replace a birth partner or midwife, but some families choose to have one as well, for extra continuous support.

Effacement

The cervix thinning out, ready for labour. Measured in percent. 0% is still thick, 100% is fully thinned. It usually happens alongside dilation, but not always at the same pace.

Engaged (head engaged)

Baby's head has dropped into the pelvis, ready for birth. Usually checked at a late pregnancy appointment. It's a good sign labour is on its way, but it can happen days or weeks before it actually starts.

Epidural

An injection in the back that numbs pain from the waist down. Usually needs a drip and continuous monitoring once it's in. It can be topped up, and it doesn't have to mean the birth plan has 'failed'.

Episiotomy

A small cut made to widen the vaginal opening during birth, if needed. Done with consent in the moment, usually if baby needs to come quickly or to avoid a worse tear. It's stitched afterwards and heals like any other cut.

Febrile seizure

A seizure brought on by a high temperature, most often in babies and young children. Frightening to watch and usually over in two or three minutes. Note the time it starts and stops, protect their head, do not hold them still or put anything in their mouth, and call 999. The first aid section has the full card.

Fontanelle

The soft spot on the top of a baby's head, where the skull bones have not yet joined. Normally flat and firm. A fontanelle that is sunken or bulging is one of the signs on the get-help-now lists, so it is worth knowing what theirs usually looks like. Never a thing to press or test yourself: if it looks different, ring 111 or 999.

Forceps

Smooth metal instruments sometimes used to help guide baby out during an assisted delivery. Used with consent, usually when pushing has stalled or baby needs help out quickly. Staff will explain why before they're used.

Fourth trimester

The first three months after birth, often described as the adjustment period for the baby and the family. A way of thinking about early parenthood as its own distinct stage, not just 'after' pregnancy, which is useful for setting expectations rather than rushing back to normal.

Gas and air (Entonox)

A breathed-in pain relief mixed with oxygen, used during contractions. Doesn't remove pain entirely but can take the edge off. Wears off within a minute or two of stopping, so it's easy to stop using if it's not helping.

Gentle caesarean

A caesarean approach that keeps things like skin-to-skin, a lowered screen, and delayed cord clamping wherever possible. Not available everywhere in every circumstance, but worth asking about in advance: many of these small requests just need to be raised ahead of time.

Golden hour

The first hour or so after birth, often used for skin-to-skin and early bonding. Not always possible depending on how the birth goes, and that's completely fine too: bonding isn't limited to this one window.

Group B Strep (GBS)

A common, usually harmless bacteria some women carry, which can occasionally affect baby during birth. If she's known to carry it, antibiotics through a drip during labour are usually offered. It changes the logistics of the day slightly, not the outcome: the team handles it routinely.

Induction

Starting labour artificially rather than waiting for it to begin on its own. Usually offered for medical reasons: overdue, waters broken without contractions, or a health concern. It can take longer than expected, so patience helps.

Latent phase

The early, often slower part of labour, with irregular contractions and gradual cervix changes. Can last hours, sometimes over a day, especially with a first baby. It's normal, and often more comfortable to spend at home than at the hospital.

Lochia

The vaginal bleeding and discharge that continues for several weeks after birth as the womb heals. Starts heavier and redder, gradually lightening and fading in colour over the following weeks as the womb heals.

Mastitis

A painful, inflamed area of the breast, sometimes with fever and flu-like feelings. Common during breastfeeding and very treatable, but it needs a midwife, health visitor or GP promptly rather than waiting it out. A red, hot, painful patch plus fever is the classic picture to mention.

Meconium

Baby's first, dark, sticky poo: sometimes passed before birth. Staff will check the colour of the waters for it, since it can occasionally mean baby needs a bit of extra monitoring after birth.

Membrane sweep

A midwife gently separates the membranes around the cervix to try to kick-start labour naturally. Usually offered near or past the due date. It can feel uncomfortable for a moment, and doesn't always work straight away.

NICE guidance

Recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on what good maternity care looks like in the UK. Sets out things like one-to-one support in established labour: useful to know as a baseline for what reasonable care should look like.

Obstetrician

A doctor who specialises in pregnancy and birth, the person who appears when things need more than midwife-led care. Midwives run straightforward births; obstetricians get involved for complications, instrumental births and caesareans. Meeting one isn't automatically bad news. Sometimes it's just a routine review.

OP / back-to-back

Baby facing mum's front instead of her back: a position that often means longer labour and more backache. Occiput posterior, in the notes. Many babies turn during labour; steady back pressure and position changes (hands and knees especially) are exactly the comfort work partners can help with.

Perinatal mental health

A partner or mother's emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and the first year after birth. Covers everything from ordinary wobbles to things worth professional support: noticing changes and encouraging a chat with a midwife, health visitor or GP is the useful role here, not diagnosing anything yourself.

Perineum

The area of skin between the vagina and back passage, which can sometimes tear or be cut during birth. Tears are common and graded by severity. Most are minor and heal well. Staff will check and stitch if needed, with pain relief offered first.

Posseting

Small, effortless bringing up of milk after a feed. Different from proper vomiting. Extremely common in the early months and usually nothing at all. Forceful vomiting, green vomit, or a baby who is not putting on weight is a different thing, and goes to the health visitor or GP.

Pre-eclampsia

A pregnancy condition involving high blood pressure, picked up through routine checks. The reason blood pressure and urine get checked at every appointment. Severe headache, vision changes, sudden swelling or upper tummy pain late in pregnancy are always worth a same-day call to the midwife.

Remifentanil (PCA)

A fast-acting opioid she controls herself with a button, through a drip. Offered in some units. PCA means patient-controlled analgesia: she presses as a contraction starts, and it wears off very quickly. Not available everywhere, so it's worth asking if it's an option locally if opioids interest her.

SCBU / NICU

The special care and intensive care units for newborns who need extra help. Special Care Baby Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. If baby goes there, parents aren't visitors. You're part of the care team, and the nurses will show you what you can do for them each day.

Show / mucus plug

A blob of mucus, sometimes blood-tinged, that seals the cervix during pregnancy. Losing it can mean labour is near, or it can mean nothing for days yet. On its own, it's not a reason to rush anywhere.

SIDS

Sudden infant death syndrome, sometimes called cot death: a baby dying suddenly with no explanation found. Rare, and the risk drops sharply with a few specific things: on the back for every sleep, own clear flat firm surface, in your room for six months, no smoking, not too warm, never asleep together on a sofa. The safe sleep guide walks through all of them.

Skin-to-skin

Holding baby directly against bare skin right after birth. Helps with bonding, warmth and feeding, and partners can usually do it too, not just mum: worth asking for if it doesn't happen automatically.

Spinal anaesthetic

A single injection in the back that numbs from the waist down, often used for planned caesareans. Similar effect to an epidural but given once rather than topped up continuously: usually means she's awake and you can often be present.

TENS machine

A small device that sends mild electrical pulses through pads on the back. Often used in early labour at home. It doesn't remove pain but can help take the edge off and gives her something to control herself.

Third stage

Delivering the placenta after baby is born, labour's quiet final chapter. Usually within the hour, often helped along by a routine injection she'll be offered. Easy to miss entirely because everyone's watching the baby. She's still working, so stay with her.

Tongue-tie

A tight strip of tissue under baby's tongue that can sometimes make feeding harder. Picked up by midwives or feeding support if latching is painful or difficult. Assessment and, if needed, a simple procedure are routine: the feeding team is the right door.

Transition

The intense final part of established labour, just before it's time to push. Often the hardest, most overwhelming-feeling stretch: sometimes with shaking, nausea or a sudden 'I can't do this'. It usually means things are moving fast now.

Triage (maternity)

The maternity phone line and assessment area, your first call for anything urgent or uncertain, day or night. Staffed by midwives around the clock. Bleeding, waters, reduced movements, strong regular contractions, or plain worry: they'd always rather you called. Save the number in both your phones.

VBAC

Vaginal birth after caesarean: giving birth vaginally having had a caesarean before. One of several options discussed with a midwife or doctor if there's been a previous caesarean, alongside planning another caesarean. Worth raising early so there's time to talk it through properly.

Ventouse

A soft or rigid cup attached to baby's head with suction, used during an assisted delivery. Used with consent, similar reasons to forceps. Baby may have a temporary mark or swelling on their head afterwards, which settles within a few days.

Vernix

The white, waxy coating that protects baby's skin in the womb. Some babies are born with quite a bit still on, especially if early. It's harmless and can simply be left to absorb or wiped off.

Waters breaking

The membrane around baby and fluid ruptures, either before or during labour. Can be a sudden gush or a slow trickle: both are normal. Note the time and colour, and let your midwife know either way.

Witching hour

A stretch of evening fussiness some babies go through, often early evening. Common and usually settles with time: more about the time of day than any single cause.

Sources

• NHS, pre-eclampsia (last checked 2026-06-24)