In childbirth education, have you ever wondered, “Why do we call it that?” or “What’s with that name?”

In all areas of academic inquiry, there are anatomical structures, procedures, methods, theorems, discoveries, diseases, and more associated with the names of those connected to their study. And the fields of childbirth and lactation education are no different. These disciplines are filled with key terms we may take for granted without knowing anything about the names associated with them.

Read on to learn about the history and people behind a few key terms in childbirth education, and discover some of our childbirth and breastfeeding education materials that cover these important topics.

Why do we call the surgical procedure to deliver a baby that requires an incision to be cut in the mother’s abdomen and uterus a cesarean section?

It is often assumed that Roman leader Gaius Julius Caesar (100 BCE–44 BCE) was born by this method. In those ancient times, the procedure would have been performed only in an attempt to save the baby’s life when the mother was dying in childbirth. However, Aurelia, Julius Caesar’s mother, is thought to have survived well into her son’s adulthood, making it highly unlikely that she had a cesarean delivery. She purportedly learned of her son’s invasion of Britain and died in 54 BCE, about the same time as Caesar’s own daughter Julia died during childbirth.

Our Breastfeeding Chart Set (8) includes the Breastfeeding: Changes in Your Breast Chart, which features detailed drawings depicting breast tissue before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and while lactating. The chart’s description of the pregnant breast explains how the Montgomery glands (small sebaceous glands that appear around the nipple on the areola) become bigger and more noticeable during pregnancy.

Although they can release small amounts of breastmilk, Montgomery glands primarily produce an oily substance that keeps the nipple and areola clean and moist to help prevent infection. They also appear to provide a scent that helps newborns find the nipple, latch on, and breastfeed successfully for the first time after birth. But why are they called Montgomery glands?

As covered in our Healthy Newborns Flip Chart when a newborn’s foot is stroked from the heel upward and across the ball of the foot, the infant hyperextends and fans the toes apart. This reflex generally disappears by the time a child is 2 years old. When the Babinski reflex occurs in older children and adults, it suggests potential problems with the central nervous system. But why is it called the Babinksi reflex?

The Babinski reflex is named for Joseph Babinski (1857–1923), a French neurologist of Polish heritage who first described the cutaneous plantar reflex that came to be known as the Babinski reflex. In addition to describing the Babinski reflex, Babinski made multiple contributions to neurology and was a key figure in the emerging discipline of neurosurgery in France.

APGAR, however, is far more than just a convenient acronym; it is also the name of the creator of the Apgar score, Virginia Apgar, MD (1909–1974). An American obstetrical anesthesiologist, Dr. Apgar earned her MD at Columbia University and was a full professor at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. By 1952 she had developed the Apgar scoring system, which became standard practice across the globe and helped lay the groundwork for the field of neonatology. Among her many other achievements, Dr. Apgar earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) and worked to help prevent birth defects and premature birth, including advocating for the importance of prenatal care and a healthy pregnancy and promoting rubella immunization.