Lanugo

A fine covering of tiny hairs over the baby’s body at birth. Premature babies often have a great deal of this fine hair which eventually falls out.

Lie

The position of the baby in the uterus.

Lithotomy position

A position used for assisted deliveries, where the mother lies flat on her back with her legs raised and apart, supported by stirrups.

LOA or LOP

Describes the position of the baby in the uterus. The L stands for left, O stands for occipito, the part of the baby that will be born first (usually the back of the head), A for anterior or towards the front and P for posterior or towards the back. So LOA means the baby is lying on the mother’s left, the back of his head is coming first and his back is turned towards the front of the mother or, if LOP, towards the back of the mother. (See ROA or ROP)

Lochia

For a couple of weeks or more after the birth the woman loses a mixture of blood and mucus through the vagina, like a very heavy period at first but lessening over time. It generally begins as a bright red discharge and gradually turns a brownish colour. Some women find it becomes bright red again if they are too active too soon.