puerperium

American  

[pyoo-er-peer-ee-uhm] / ˌpju ərˈpɪər i əm /

noun

Obstetrics.

1. the four-week period following childbirth.

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puerperium British  

/ pjʊəˈpɪərɪəm /

noun

1. the period following childbirth, lasting approximately six weeks, during which the uterus returns to its normal size and shape

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Etymology

Origin of puerperium

1885–90; < Latin: childbirth, childbed, equivalent to puerper ( us ) of a woman in labor ( puer boy, child + -perus bringing forth, akin to parere to bear, breed) + -ium -ium

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

puerperium

It is not at all unusual for a sleeping mother in the early puerperium to wake up in a sweat with night gown very nearly drenched.

From The Mother and Her Child by William S. Sadler

The mother was attacked with pneumonia on the fifth day of her puerperium, but recovered; the child died in four weeks of intestinal catarrh.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle

It certainly does not retard repair and recovery during the puerperium.

From The Mother and Her Child by William S. Sadler

Sunshine and95 fresh air are wonderful health restorers as is also a well-directed cold water friction bath administered near the close of the second week of a normal puerperium.

From The Mother and Her Child by William S. Sadler

Clean walls, clean floors, and a scrupulously clean bed must be maintained throughout the puerperium.

From The Mother and Her Child by William S. Sadler

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