Child Development, Labor, Newborn Care, and Genetics Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering topics across newborn care, labor and delivery, pregnancy stages and complications, relationship dynamics and family structures, and fundamental genetics.

A.P.G.A.R. Exam

A test performed on a newborn at $1$ and $5$ minutes after birth to check heart rate, muscle tone, reflex irritability, skin color, and respiration.

Fontanels

The open soft spots located between the bones of a baby's skull.

Lanugo

Soft, feathery hair growing over a fetus's body toward the end of pregnancy that helps hold vernix onto the skin.

Vernix Caseosa

A thick, white protective coating covering a newborn's skin at birth that protects against womb fluid, infection, and inflammation.

Hemangioma

A vascular birthmark formed by an extra clump of blood vessels growing together in or on the body.

Cradle Cap

Also known as infantile seborrheic dermatitis, a non-itchy skin condition causing crusty or oily patches, scaling, and skin flakes on an infant's scalp.

Roseola

Also known as sixth disease, a common viral illness in young children caused by human herpesvirus types 6 and 7, characterized by a high fever followed by a pinkish-red rash.

Lightening

The change or downward drop in a baby's position into the mother's pelvis prior to labor.

Mucus Plug

A accumulation of mucus that forms in the cervical canal during early pregnancy to seal the uterus and prevent bacteria from entering.

Effacement

The thinning and shortening of the cervix during labor, measured as a percentage from $0\%$ to $100\%$ .

Epidural Anesthesia

A regional block injected into the lower spinal segments to eliminate pain from the waist down during labor.

Episiotomy

A surgical incision made to enlarge the vaginal opening and prevent severe tissue tearing during childbirth.

Placenta Abruption

A medical condition in which the placenta separates partially or completely from the uterine wall before delivery.

Placenta Previa

A complication where the placenta develops over the cervix, blocking the baby's exit through the birth canal.

Bicornuate Uterus

A congenital structural abnormality where the uterus forms a heart-like shape with two distinct horns separated by a central septum.

Doula

A trained non-medical professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and decision-making support to a mother before, during, and after labor.

Midwife

A medically trained healthcare provider capable of conducting exams, offering prenatal care, managing labor interventions, delivering babies, and managing postpartum complications.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG)

An extreme, severe form of morning sickness affecting up to $3\%$ of pregnant women, caused by rapidly increasing levels of HCG.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG)

A hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy that is detected by home pregnancy testing strips.

Lightning Crotch

A sudden, sharp, shooting pain experienced in the vagina or pelvis caused by fetal pressure on surrounding pelvic nerves.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

A severe developmental disorder caused by maternal alcohol consumption, characterized by intellectual delays, central nervous system dysfunction, and distinct craniofacial abnormalities.

Thalidomide

A drug prescribed in the early 1960s as a mild sleeping and nausea pill for pregnant women that caused thousands of babies to be born with severe limb malformations.

5 Love Languages

The five recognized ways people express and prefer to receive affection: Acts of service, Quality time, Words of affirmation, Physical touch, and Receiving gifts.

I-Message

An assertive communication technique starting with 'I' that states personal feelings and problems without blaming or attacking the listener.

Annulment

A legal decree that invalidates a marriage, legally declaring that it never existed.

Blended Family

A family structure formed when two adults marry and combine children from previous relationships into one household.

Kinship Care

A foster placement where a child is placed in the care of a biological relative.

Fictive Kin Care

A foster placement option where a child is cared for by an adult who is known to the child but not related by blood or marriage.

Gregor Mendel

An 1822 Austrian monk and biologist known as the Founder of Genetics for his systematic studies on trait inheritance in pea plants.

Chromosome

A long, thread-like strand of DNA carrying genetic information; humans possess $23$ pairs ($46$ total) in each cell nucleus.

Allele

A specific variant or alternate version of a gene inherited from a parent.

Phenotype

The observable physical expression or appearance of a genetic trait in an organism.

Genotype

The actual genetic allele combination of an organism, represented by letter pairs such as $BB$, $Bb$, or $bb$.

Heterozygous

Describing a genotype that consists of two different alleles for a specific gene, such as $Bb$.

Homozygous

Describing a genotype that consists of two identical alleles for a specific gene, such as $BB$ or $bb$.

Amniocentesis

An invasive diagnostic procedure performed between weeks $14$ and $20$ of pregnancy that extracts and tests amniotic fluid for fetal genetic conditions.

Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)

A diagnostic test performed between weeks $10$ and $13$ of pregnancy that removes a small sample of placental tissue to check for chromosome abnormalities.