Fundamentals of Midwifery: A Textbook for Students (37 page)

Empathy
The ability to recognise and understand another’s emotions.
Hyperemesis
Nausea and vomiting, especially noted in early pregnancy.
Meta-analysis
An analysis of research from several studies on the same subject comparing and contrasting results.
Morbidity
The unhealthy or diseased state of the individual.
Mortality
The demise (death) of an individual or death rates within a population.
Multiparous
A woman who has given birth more than once.
Neurological
Relating to nerves or the nervous system.
Oxytocin
A hormone produced in the posterior pituitary gland which stimulates breast milk ejection and uterine contractions.
Parous
A woman who has given birth one or more times.
Perinatal
The period surrounding birth – from 24 weeks gestation and the first month post-birth.