Pregnancy Glossary

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• neonatal - A time period one refers to after the delivery of the baby- the baby at this time is considered a neonate. Usually refers to the first month after delivery.

• Obstetrician - A physician who specializes in care of the pregnant mother, and who is the physician who delivers the baby. A general obstetrician does a four year residency training in obstetrics after medical school, and high risk maternal fetal medicine specialists train an additional 3 years after residency in high risk obstetrics.

• oxytocin- also known as pitocin - Oxytocin is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the posterior pituitary gland in the maternal brain. It causes uterine contractions, and also causes milk letdown in the breast and works with the hormone prolactin. Pitocin is commercially produced as an inducing agent for labor. It is very safe when used in expert hands, and causes contractions to become stronger and longer, and is used to bring on or induce labor. It is identical in structure to naturally occurring oxytocin, and has a very short half life of 3 minutes (when you shut it off, it goes out of your bloodstream within few minutes, making it very safe).