Birth Injury Glossary - M
Understanding Birth Injury Terms and Definitions
The material contained in medical records and research materials usually contains words that are unfamiliar and new. The Cerebral Palsy Glossary contains definitions of terms and acronyms that are commonly associated with cerebral palsy.
Malpresentation
- An abnormal position of the fetus in the birth canal; presentation of a part other than the back of the head during delivery.
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
- The average concentration of hemoglobin in a red blood cell.
- The first stools to be discharged from the bowels of a newborn infant; usually greenish in color and consisting of mucus and bile. Meconium tests can establish whether or not excessive alcohol was consumed by the mother.
Medulla
- The central or inner core of a body part, such as the marrow of bone. Also called medullary substance.
- Abnormal smallness of the head. Either congenital, or present in the first few years of life. Children with microcephaly often have developmental issues.
Morbid Obesity
- The condition of weighing at least 100 pounds over ideal body weight.
Moro Reflex
- A primitive reflex that is present up to three or four months of age. Movements include fanning and clenching of fingers or raising the head slightly in response to a sudden noise.
Multiparity
- 1. Giving birth to two or more children at once 2. The condition of being a mother to two or more children.