Common terms - G

• Genes
• Gestation
• Gestational Diabetes
• Grunting

Genes

Genes determine who we look like, hair or eye colour, height etc and are found in our chromosomes.

Gestation:

Gestation means the pregnancy. Most pregnancies are about 40 weeks long, calculated from the first day of the woman's last period to when the baby is born. The gestational age of the baby is calculated from the first day of mother's last menstrual period up to the date of birth.

• A term baby is a baby who is born after 37 completed weeks of pregnancy, but before 42 weeks.
• If a baby is born before 37 weeks, then he is premature or preterm.
• If a baby is born after 42 weeks, he is postmature or post term.

Gestational diabetes:

Women can sometimes develop diabetes during pregnancy. This means that they have poorly controlled blood sugar levels, which need to be managed with diet and Insulin. The cause of gestational diabetes is not fully understood but it is thought to be as a result of hormones produced by the placenta blocking the effects of insulin.

Grunting:

The noise a newborn baby may make if he is experiencing some difficulty with breathing.