Glossary for Parents

• Anemia: Too few red blood cells.
• Apnea: A pause in breathing for a short period. Common in premature babies.
• AB Spell: A pause in your baby's breathing, which then lowers his or her heart rate.
• Bilirubin: A pigment produced from the breakdown of red blood cells. When in excess, bilirubin appears as yellow skin known as jaundice.
• Blood Gases: A blood test to check the level of oxygen, carbon dioxide and acidity.
• Bradycardia: Slowing of the heart rate to lower than normal.
• Catheter: A plastic tube to put fluids into or to remove them from the body.
• CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. This is continuous pressure applied to the lungs through a mask or endotracheal tube and helps the baby’s breathing.
• Edema: Presence of too much fluid in body tissues causing a swollen appearance.
• Endotracheal Tube: A tube inserted into the mouth to the windpipe to keep the airway open.
• Gavage: Feeding by a tube passed through the mouth into the stomach.
• Gestational Age: The time period in weeks from conception to delivery.
• Glucose: Sugar
• Hematocrit: The concentration of red cells in blood.
• Hyperalimentation: Nourishing the baby with a glucose, fat and protein solution through the veins. Also called Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)
• Hypoglycemia: Blood sugar level below normal.
• Jaundice: Yellow color in the skin from excess bilirubin.
• Meconium: Dark greenish waste products that accumulate in the bowel during fetal life and are eliminated shortly after birth.
• Meconium Aspiration: The condition in which the baby breathes in meconium that is in the amniotic fluid.
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2): Waste gas eliminated by the lungs.
• Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA): A blood vessel that allows blood to bypass the lungs. It should close shortly after birth.
• pH: Amount of acid in the blood.
• Phototherapy: Treatment of jaundice by use of special lights on the baby’s skin to breakdown the bilirubin.
• P02: Blood oxygen level.
• Pulse Oximeter: A probe that wraps around a hand or foot, connected to a machine, which measures how much oxygen the blood is carrying.
• Sepsis: Infection in the blood or other body tissues.
• SGA: Small for gestational age; lower birth weight than expected for age.
• Suction: Mechanical removal of mucous from the nose or throat or endotracheal tube with a plastic tube.
• Transcutaneous Oxygen or Carbon Dioxide Monitor(TCOM): A button-like probe placed on the baby’s skin to measure the amount of oxygen or carbon dioxide in the blood without taking a blood test.
• Umbilical Catheter: A small plastic tube inserted into one of the arteries of the umbilical cord.
• Ventilator: Also known as a respirator; a machine used to deliver air and oxygen into the lungs with pressure to help the baby breathe.
• Vital Signs: Temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure.