Pregnancy, birth and child health vocabulary in Spanish

Terms used

• Matrona — The matrona is a midwife who runs most routine check-ups for low-risk pregnancies in primary care.
• Centro de salud — The centro de salud is your local public health centre, where you register and see family doctors, midwives and paediatricians.
• Calendario vacunal — The calendario vacunal is the official vaccination schedule, run by each region.
• Cartilla — The cartilla is the record you carry, for pregnancy or for a child's vaccinations.
• Test de O'Sullivan — The test de O'Sullivan is a glucose test that checks for gestational diabetes, usually around weeks 24–28.
• Pediatra — The pediatra is the children's doctor at the centro de salud.

Key rules

• Matrona: In a low-risk pregnancy, the matrona is your main contact for routine check-ups.
• Scans: Standard ecografías are usually around weeks 11–13, 18–22 and 32–34.
• Vaccines: Your region runs the calendario vacunal, so ask your centro de salud what applies.

Pregnancy care: who you see and what it is called

In the public system, your first stop is your centro de salud. There you see the matrona, who runs most check-ups for a low-risk pregnancy, and your médico de familia. You are then sent to the hospital for scans and visits with the ginecólogo or obstetra.

Words you will hear:

• Embarazo: pregnancy.
• Control del embarazo: the regular follow-up visits.
• Fecha probable de parto: your due date.
• Analítica: blood tests.
• Cribado de primer trimestre: screening for chromosomal conditions.
• Monitorización: monitoring the baby's heartbeat.

Scans and tests

An ecografía is an ultrasound. The standard scans are usually around weeks 11–13, 18–22 and 32–34.

The test de O'Sullivan checks for gestational diabetes. You drink a glucose drink and have blood taken, usually around weeks 24–28.

Birth and afterwards

• Preparación al parto or educación maternal: antenatal classes.
• Parto: birth. Cesárea: C-section. Epidural: the same word in English.
• Puerperio or posparto: the weeks after birth.
• Lactancia: breastfeeding.
• Revisión posparto: your check-up after birth.

Child health: check-ups

Your child is seen by the pediatra at the centro de salud, together with an enfermera pediátrica (paediatric nurse). The regular check-ups are called revisiones del programa de salud infantil or control del niño sano.

They look at peso (weight), talla (height), perímetro cefálico (head size), desarrollo psicomotor (development), feeding and prevention.

They are most frequent in the first two years. After that they space out through childhood and adolescence. The timeline below shows the usual pattern.

Vaccines

The calendario vacunal is the official vaccination schedule. Each region runs it. Your child's cartilla or carnet de vacunación is the record of vaccines given.

Words on vaccine notes:

• Vacuna: vaccine.
• Dosis: dose.
• Refuerzo: booster.
• Hexavalente: a combined baby vaccine.
• Neumococo and meningococo: vaccines against those infections.
• Triple vírica: measles, mumps and rubella.
• Varicela: chickenpox.
• VPH: human papillomavirus.
• Tdpa: tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough booster.

Ask at your centro de salud which vaccines your region currently gives and when.

Timeline and deadlines

• Newborn visit with the pediatra at the centro de salud: in the first week after birth

• Revisiones del niño sano in the first two years: at roughly 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months

• Regular checks in childhood and adolescence: at around 2, 3–4, 6, 9–10 and 12–14 years

Documents you need

• Cartilla or documento de salud de la embarazada: the pregnancy record you carry to appointments, given to you through your centro de salud and midwife care.

Checklist

• Register at your centro de salud and ask for a visit with the matrona.

• Ask for your cartilla de la embarazada and bring it to every appointment.

• Ask when your ecografías are due, usually around weeks 11–13, 18–22 and 32–34.

• Book the test de O'Sullivan for around weeks 24 to 28.

• Ask about preparación al parto classes.

• Book the newborn visit with the pediatra in the first week.

• Ask for your child's calendario vacunal and keep the carnet de vacunación up to date.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the matrona and do I see her instead of a doctor?

Yes, the matrona (midwife) runs most low-risk antenatal checks in primary care, but you also see your médico de familia. You register at your centro de salud first.

What is the cartilla de la embarazada?

The cartilla, or documento de salud de la embarazada, is the pregnancy record you carry to every appointment. Its name and layout vary by region. Ask your matrona for yours at the first visit.

What is the O'Sullivan test and when is it done?

The test de O'Sullivan is a glucose challenge test for gestational diabetes, usually done around weeks 24 to 28. It is separate from the standard ecografías, which fall around weeks 11–13, 18–22 and 32–34.

What is the difference between a cartilla de vacunación and the calendario vacunal?

The calendario vacunal is the official schedule of which vaccines your child gets and when. The cartilla or carnet de vacunación is your child's own record of the doses given. Each region runs the schedule, so some vaccines differ.