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DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY
Apgar Score - The numerical expression of the condition of a newborn
infant, being the sum of points gained on assessment of the heart rate,
respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color.
Birth Weight - Weight in grams of fetus or infant at time of delivery
(recorded either in pounds and ounces or in grams).
Clinical Gestation - Gestation as reported on the birth or fetal death
certificate as estimated from an examination of the infant.
Computed Gestation - The number of completed weeks elapsed between the
first day of the last menstrual period and the date of delivery.
Congenital Anomaly - Physical, physiological, or metabolic abnormality
existing before or at birth.
Fetal Death - Death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its
mother of a product of human conception, with 20 weeks or more gestation
and/or weighing 350 grams or more; the death is indicated by the fact that
after such expulsion or extraction, the fetus does not breathe or show any
other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the
umbilical cord or definite movement of voluntary muscles. (Note: The grams
were changed from 500 to 350 on July 28, 1995)
Infant Death - Death occurring to live-born individual of less than one
year of age (neonatal plus postneonatal deaths).
Live Birth - Complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product
of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, which after
such expulsion or extraction, breathes or shows any other evidence of life,
such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord or definite
movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut
or the placenta is attached.
Live Birth Interval - The period from the date of the last live birth to
the current birth.
Live Birth Order - The number of children born alive to a mother, including
the current child.
Low Birth Weight - Birth weight less than 2500 grams (5 1/2 pounds).
Neonatal Death - Live-born infant who dies before completing four weeks (28
days) of life.
Occurrence - County and state where the event occurred.
Perinatal Death - Fetal or Neonatal death.
Plural Delivery - Second or later delivery from a multiple gestation.
Plurality - Classification of a birth by the number of children born to the
mother for a single pregnancy.
Population - The total of all individuals in a given area.
Postneonatal Death - Death occurring between four weeks (28 days) and one
year of age.
Pregnancy Interval - The period from the date of last live birth or
termination to the current birth or termination.
Pregnancy Order - The number of pregnancies to a female, including the
current one.
Underlying Cause of Death - Disease or injury which initiated the train of
morbid events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident
or violence which produced the fatal injury. Classifications used are from
the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition (ICD-9).
VBAC - Vaginal birth after previous Cesarean Section.
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