Maternal & Child Health Nursing: Care of
the Childbearing & Childrearing Family,
7th edition - Glossary
abortion: - Answer any interruption of a pregnancy before the fetus is viable (a stage
of development that
will enable the fetus to survive outside the uterus if born at that time)
absorption: - Answer transfer of a drug from its point of entry in the body into the bloodstream
abstinence: - Answer refraining from sexual intercourse
abstract thought: - Answer final stage in cognitive thought processes; allows problem solving and
creating hypotheses
accommodation: - Answer adjustment of the eye to focus on a close image (ophthalmology); the ability to
adapt thought processes to fit what is perceived (Piaget)
acculturation: - Answer the process of losing cultural beliefs and values to those of a
dominant society
acrocyanosis: - Answer cyanosis (blue color) in the feet and hands
acute bilirubin encephalopathy: permanent damage of brain cells caused when high levels
(about 20 mg-100 ml) of indirect bilirubin leave the bloodstream and interfere with the chemical
synthesis of brain cells
acute pain: - Answer sharp pain, generally occurring abruptly after an injury
acyanotic heart disease: heart or circulatory anomalies that involve either a stricture to the flow
of blood or a shunt that moves blood from the arterial to the venous system (oxygenated to
unoxygenated blood, or left-to-right shunts)
adolescence: - Answer the time period between 13 years and 18 to 20 years
adrenarche: - Answer pubic and axillary hair that occur with puberty
adventitious sounds: extra or abnormal breathing sounds
affective learning: learning that involves a change in attitude
afterload: - Answer the resistance against which the cardiac ventricles must pump afterpains: - Answer intermittent cramping due to uterine contraction during involution in the postpartal
period
age of viability: - Answer the earliest age at which fetuses could survive if they were born at that time;
generally accepted as 24 weeks, or fetuses weighing more than 400 g
alleles: - Answer two like genes
allergen: - Answer antigen that causes the release of mediating substances causing tissue injury and
allergic symptoms
allogeneic transplantation: - Answer transfer of body tissues from an immune-
compatible
(histocompatible) donor
allografting: - Answer transfer of body tissue between two genetically dissimilar individuals
Alport's syndrome: - Answer a progressive chronic glomerulonephritis inherited as an autosomal
dominant disorder
alternative birthing center: - Answer a setting for birth separate from a hospital
alternative insemination: - Answer assistive reproductive technique, in which sperm is deposited into a
woman's cervix or uterus
amblyopia: - Answer reduced vision in one eye; ―lazy eye ‖
amenorrhea: - Answer absence of a menstrual flow
amniocentesis: - Answer the withdrawal of amniotic fluid from the uterus by means of introduction of a
needle through the abdominal and uterine wall
amnioinfusion: - Answer enlarging the amount of amniotic fluid by administration of normal saline or
lactated Ringer's solution intravaginally into the uterus
amniotic fluid embolism: - Answer condition in which amniotic fluid is forced into maternal circulation
and travels to the lungs as small emboli
amniotic membrane: - Answer the innermost membrane surrounding the fetus; it secretes amniotic fluid amniotomy: - Answer artificial rupturing of membranes during labor if they do not rupture spontaneously
analgesia: - Answer a medication that reduces or decreases awareness of pain
anaphylaxis: - Answer acute hypersensitivity (type I) reaction characterized by extreme vasodilation that
leads to circulatory shock and extreme bronchoconstriction that decreases the airway lumens
andrology: - Answer the branch of medicine that treats the male and diseases specific to the male sex
anesthesia: - Answer a medication that causes partial or complete loss of sensation
anhedonia: - Answer inability to remember the last time when a person felt happy or had a good time
ankle clonus: - Answer continued motion of the foot
ankyloglossia: - Answer an abnormal restriction of the tongue caused by an abnormally tight frenulum
anovulation: - Answer faulty or inadequate release of ova
anoxia: - Answer lack of oxygen in body cells
anteflexion: - Answer a uterus that is bent forward just above the cervix
anteversion: - Answer a uterus that is tipped abnormally forward including the cervix
anticipatory grief: - Answer preparatory phase in which people gradually incorporate the reality of
impending death into their thoughts
antigen: - Answer any foreign substance (molecule) capable of stimulating an immune response
antiphospholipid antibodies: antibodies that attack phospholipids, often associated with an
autoimmune disorder
antitoxins: - Answer antibodies against toxin-producing bacteria
apnea: - Answer pause in respirations longer than 20 seconds with accompanying bradycardia
apparent life-threatening event (ALTE): an episode in which an infant is cyanotic and
limp in
bed but survives after mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
apposition: - Answer the amount of end-to-end contact of bone fragments appropriate for gestational age (AGA): newborn who falls between the 10th and 90th
percentile of weight for age regardless of gestational age
areola: - Answer the pigmented circle surrounding the nipple
arterial blood gases (ABGs): the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood
arthroscopy: - Answer direct visualization of a joint with a fiberoptic instrument
aspermia: - Answer absence of sperm
aspiration: - Answer inhalation of a foreign object into the airway
aspiration studies: - Answer studies involving the removal of body fluids by such techniques as lumbar
puncture or bone marrow aspiration
assimilation: - Answer changing a situation or one's perception of it to fit one's thoughts
astereognosis: - Answer difficulty identifying objects placed in the hand when the eyes are closed
astigmatism: - Answer congenital or acquired unevenness of the curvature of the cornea
atelectasis: - Answer collapse of alveoli
atopic dermatitis: - Answer an itchy inflammation of the skin, primarily affecting infants; also known as
infantile eczema
atresia: - Answer complete closure of a body opening
attachment: - Answer successful bonding between a woman and her newborn
attitude: - Answer the degree of head flexion a fetus assumes during labor, or the relation of the fetal parts
to each other
audiogram: - Answer a test to measure hearing
augmentation of labor: - Answer assisting labor that has started spontaneously to be
more effective
auscultation: - Answer listening with the aid of a stethoscope
autografting: - Answer transplantation of tissue from one part of the body to another in the same
individual
the Childbearing & Childrearing Family,
7th edition - Glossary
abortion: - Answer any interruption of a pregnancy before the fetus is viable (a stage
of development that
will enable the fetus to survive outside the uterus if born at that time)
absorption: - Answer transfer of a drug from its point of entry in the body into the bloodstream
abstinence: - Answer refraining from sexual intercourse
abstract thought: - Answer final stage in cognitive thought processes; allows problem solving and
creating hypotheses
accommodation: - Answer adjustment of the eye to focus on a close image (ophthalmology); the ability to
adapt thought processes to fit what is perceived (Piaget)
acculturation: - Answer the process of losing cultural beliefs and values to those of a
dominant society
acrocyanosis: - Answer cyanosis (blue color) in the feet and hands
acute bilirubin encephalopathy: permanent damage of brain cells caused when high levels
(about 20 mg-100 ml) of indirect bilirubin leave the bloodstream and interfere with the chemical
synthesis of brain cells
acute pain: - Answer sharp pain, generally occurring abruptly after an injury
acyanotic heart disease: heart or circulatory anomalies that involve either a stricture to the flow
of blood or a shunt that moves blood from the arterial to the venous system (oxygenated to
unoxygenated blood, or left-to-right shunts)
adolescence: - Answer the time period between 13 years and 18 to 20 years
adrenarche: - Answer pubic and axillary hair that occur with puberty
adventitious sounds: extra or abnormal breathing sounds
affective learning: learning that involves a change in attitude
afterload: - Answer the resistance against which the cardiac ventricles must pump afterpains: - Answer intermittent cramping due to uterine contraction during involution in the postpartal
period
age of viability: - Answer the earliest age at which fetuses could survive if they were born at that time;
generally accepted as 24 weeks, or fetuses weighing more than 400 g
alleles: - Answer two like genes
allergen: - Answer antigen that causes the release of mediating substances causing tissue injury and
allergic symptoms
allogeneic transplantation: - Answer transfer of body tissues from an immune-
compatible
(histocompatible) donor
allografting: - Answer transfer of body tissue between two genetically dissimilar individuals
Alport's syndrome: - Answer a progressive chronic glomerulonephritis inherited as an autosomal
dominant disorder
alternative birthing center: - Answer a setting for birth separate from a hospital
alternative insemination: - Answer assistive reproductive technique, in which sperm is deposited into a
woman's cervix or uterus
amblyopia: - Answer reduced vision in one eye; ―lazy eye ‖
amenorrhea: - Answer absence of a menstrual flow
amniocentesis: - Answer the withdrawal of amniotic fluid from the uterus by means of introduction of a
needle through the abdominal and uterine wall
amnioinfusion: - Answer enlarging the amount of amniotic fluid by administration of normal saline or
lactated Ringer's solution intravaginally into the uterus
amniotic fluid embolism: - Answer condition in which amniotic fluid is forced into maternal circulation
and travels to the lungs as small emboli
amniotic membrane: - Answer the innermost membrane surrounding the fetus; it secretes amniotic fluid amniotomy: - Answer artificial rupturing of membranes during labor if they do not rupture spontaneously
analgesia: - Answer a medication that reduces or decreases awareness of pain
anaphylaxis: - Answer acute hypersensitivity (type I) reaction characterized by extreme vasodilation that
leads to circulatory shock and extreme bronchoconstriction that decreases the airway lumens
andrology: - Answer the branch of medicine that treats the male and diseases specific to the male sex
anesthesia: - Answer a medication that causes partial or complete loss of sensation
anhedonia: - Answer inability to remember the last time when a person felt happy or had a good time
ankle clonus: - Answer continued motion of the foot
ankyloglossia: - Answer an abnormal restriction of the tongue caused by an abnormally tight frenulum
anovulation: - Answer faulty or inadequate release of ova
anoxia: - Answer lack of oxygen in body cells
anteflexion: - Answer a uterus that is bent forward just above the cervix
anteversion: - Answer a uterus that is tipped abnormally forward including the cervix
anticipatory grief: - Answer preparatory phase in which people gradually incorporate the reality of
impending death into their thoughts
antigen: - Answer any foreign substance (molecule) capable of stimulating an immune response
antiphospholipid antibodies: antibodies that attack phospholipids, often associated with an
autoimmune disorder
antitoxins: - Answer antibodies against toxin-producing bacteria
apnea: - Answer pause in respirations longer than 20 seconds with accompanying bradycardia
apparent life-threatening event (ALTE): an episode in which an infant is cyanotic and
limp in
bed but survives after mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
apposition: - Answer the amount of end-to-end contact of bone fragments appropriate for gestational age (AGA): newborn who falls between the 10th and 90th
percentile of weight for age regardless of gestational age
areola: - Answer the pigmented circle surrounding the nipple
arterial blood gases (ABGs): the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood
arthroscopy: - Answer direct visualization of a joint with a fiberoptic instrument
aspermia: - Answer absence of sperm
aspiration: - Answer inhalation of a foreign object into the airway
aspiration studies: - Answer studies involving the removal of body fluids by such techniques as lumbar
puncture or bone marrow aspiration
assimilation: - Answer changing a situation or one's perception of it to fit one's thoughts
astereognosis: - Answer difficulty identifying objects placed in the hand when the eyes are closed
astigmatism: - Answer congenital or acquired unevenness of the curvature of the cornea
atelectasis: - Answer collapse of alveoli
atopic dermatitis: - Answer an itchy inflammation of the skin, primarily affecting infants; also known as
infantile eczema
atresia: - Answer complete closure of a body opening
attachment: - Answer successful bonding between a woman and her newborn
attitude: - Answer the degree of head flexion a fetus assumes during labor, or the relation of the fetal parts
to each other
audiogram: - Answer a test to measure hearing
augmentation of labor: - Answer assisting labor that has started spontaneously to be
more effective
auscultation: - Answer listening with the aid of a stethoscope
autografting: - Answer transplantation of tissue from one part of the body to another in the same
individual
