Family health A-Z - M

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Inflammation of the breast due to a blocked milk duct, sometimes accompanied by acute breast pain and fever. Treatment is usually by antibiotics.

Pregnant employees have the right to 26 weeks ‘Ordinary Maternity Leave’ and 26 weeks ‘Additional Maternity Leave’. Provided certain notification requirements are met, this entitlement is due regardless of length of employment, working hours or pay.

An acute and highly contagious viral disease marked by distinct red spots followed by a rash, occurring primarily in children. The disease can cause permanent disability or even death. Measles was prevalent in the UK until the introduction of the immunisation programme, with the last mini-epidemic occurring in the late 1980s; since then it has been virtually eradicated.

Also known as: Rubella

The medical term for German measles - a viral infection which was very common among children before the introduction of the MMR vaccine. Characterised by a mild fever followed by a rash, which starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. The greatest risk from rubella is to pregnant women in the first trimester, as it can have devastating effects on the development of unborn babies.

Meconium is the bowel content of a fetus which can stain the amniotic fluid if the baby is becoming distressed.

Also known as: Cervical sweep

When a midwife performs a cervical sweep, he or she simply ‘sweeps’ a finger around the cervix, to separate it from the membranes around the baby. This releases hormones called prostaglandins, which may kick-start labour. A cervical sweep is also known as a membrane sweep.

Inflammation of the meninges of the brain and the spinal cord, usually resulting from a bacterial or viral infection. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, an intense headache, dislike of strong light and a stiff neck. Viral meningitis is usually benign, but bacterial meningitis is life-threatening or disabling if not recognised and treated at the onset. A rash which does not change colour or disappear when a glass is placed over it indicates the onset of septicaemia (blood poisoning), which can kill. Despite this, most people with meningitis and septicaemia do survive.

A medical professional who oversees pregnancy, facilitates and attends birth and offers help and support in days following birth.

Also known as: Prickly heat

Medically known as ‘miliaria’, prickly heat can occur in response to excessive sweating in hot or humid weather. Dead skin cells and bacteria block the sweat glands so that the skinbecomes inflamed with a spotty rash which may go on to blister.

The spontaneous loss of pregnancy before 24 weeks of gestation.

Combining breastfeeding with bottle-feeding, using either expressed breastmilk or formula.

Also known as: Epidural

The term epidural is short here for epidural anesthesia, a form of local anaesthetic injected via a cather into the epidural space, which is inside the spinal canal. The injection effectively numbs the pelvis and lower body (except in the case of a ‘mobile epidural’, where sensation remains in the legs) and leaves a woman pain-free throughout labour. It is generally timed to wear off for the second stage of labour – or topped up if an emergency Caesarean section becomes necessary.

Private, pre-school education focusing on all aspects of development, including intellectual, social, physical, emotional and spiritual. The emphasis is on self-reliance, and there is little formal testing.

Raised, reddened bumps on the areola area of the nipple. These may become more pronounced during pregnancy.

The reflex response of a young baby to a sudden loud noise by stretching out the arms and flexing the legs. Named after German paediatrician Ernst Moro, this response is also known as the ‘startle reflex’.

Also known as ‘car sickness’ or ‘travel sickness’, motion sickness is nausea, sometimes accompanied by dizziness, induced by the motion of travelling by air, car or boat.

The ability to perform physical tasks involving complex muscle-and-nerve action.

A mass of mucus and cells which fill the cervical canal between periods or during pregnancy. When this is discharged in pregnancy – sometimes referred to as having a ‘show’ – it usually heralds the imminent onset of labour.

A woman who has previously been pregnant, whether or not this resulted in a live birth.

A woman who has delivered two or more children.

A contagious disease causing painful swelling in the glands at the sides of the neck and face. Mumps can also affect the pancreas, ovaries and testes, and can cause fertility problems in boys.

Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a rare genetic condition affecting about 1 in 20,000 children in the UK each year, and which results in progressive, muscle-wasting leading to increasing weakness and disability. There are nine types of muscular dystrophy, differing in severity and impact on life expectancy. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), is perhaps the best known, affecting around 1 in 3,500 children per year, almost exclusively boys. It is caused by a faulty gene that prevents the production of a protein called dystrophin, which helps keep muscle cells intact, and eventually affects all muscles including those involved in breathing and the heart. Survival of DMD is rare beyond the early 30s.

The medical term for short-sightedness, in which distant objects cannot be seen clearly.