primigravida

noun

1. A woman or female animal who is pregnant for the first time, or who has been pregnant once.

   “[...] [Friedrich] Schatz advises all pregnant women, especially primigravidæ, to consult a physician during the last portion of their pregnancy, and ascertain from him the position of the child, and the necessity, if present, of altering it before labor sets in.”

   “In connection with the case, I should like to remind you of the fact that extra-uterine pregnancy occurs more frequently in multigravidae than in primigravidae. This has an important bearing on the etiology of ectopic gestation.”

   “The overwhelming majority of primigravidas seen at the clinic are in their middle teens. All but two of these primigravidas were pregnant before their eighteenth birthday. Of thirty-eight primigravidas interviewed none had completed high school; and of these, the ones that were married had husbands who were engaged in low-skill, manual, low-paying occupations.”

   “In the second stage [of labour] for a primigravida, Caesarean section is the method of choice; with a multigravida, a vaginal delivery should be attempted.”

   “Primigravidas who find themselves pregnant before they are ready may be more amenable to acceptance if social and financial circumstances are deemed adequate. Multiparas, on the other hand, who feel they have more children than they want may not be abl to overcome feelings of rejection.”