postpartum

See also: post-partum

English

Alternative forms

• post-partum

Etymology

1844, from Latin post (“after”) + partum (“giving birth”), form of partus, from pariō (“I give birth”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to bring forth”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌpəʊstˈpɑː(ɹ)təm/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Adjective

postpartum (not comparable)

1. Of a mother: after giving birth (often defined as within 30 days after childbirth).

   Synonyms: (archaic) childing, (of a mother) postnatal, postpartal, post-partural

   Antonyms: antepartum, prepartum, (of a child) postnatal

   Hypernym: peripartum

Usage notes

While postpartum narrowly refers to a mother after giving birth, the similar term postnatal maybe be used either to contrast, referring to the baby after being born, or may be used synonymously, also referring to the mother.

Derived terms

• postpartum depression
• postpartum hemorrhage

Related terms

• intrapartum
• parous
• puerperal
• puerperium

Translations

after giving birth

• Czech: poporodní (cs), postnatální
• Finnish: synnytyksen jälkeinen
• Polish: poporodowy (pl)
• Russian: послеродово́й (ru) (poslerodovój)

Adverb

postpartum (not comparable)

1. After giving birth.
   • 2012 January 10, Amy Fleming, “The mother of all maternity shoes”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Nothing surprising there (although one relative of mine unequivocally LOVES being pregnant), but what particularly struck me was her complaint that it had messed up her feet, of all things. They had spread out and flattened under the weight of pregnancy, and hurt. It was getting on for a year postpartum and her poor feet were only just getting back to normal.

Noun

postpartum (uncountable)

1. The period immediately following childbirth.
   • 2019, Maranda Bower, Supported in Postpartum: Stories of Rejuvenating Wisdom, page 54:

     Postpartum was hard. When I first thought about having a baby, postpartum wasn't on my mind at all. I was just excited to have a brand-new baby that I could call mine.

2. (informal) Ellipsis of postpartum depression.
   • 2014, Christine Rimmer, The Earl's Pregnant Bride, Toronto, ON: Harlequin Enterprises, →ISBN, page 216:

     Brooke made a face at her. “You've always been disgustingly resilient. I had postpartum with Geoffrey. It was grim. But I know you'll be up and singing Christmas carols by tomorrow morning, checking on the roof project, telling everyone what to do.”

   • 2021, Carey Crim, “Never Not Once”, in Lawrence Harbison, editor, The Best Women's Monologues from New Plays, 2020, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 99:

     When you were two months old … I was having a really hard time. Out-of-my-mind hard. I probably had postpartum and I hadn't dealt with, well anything, regarding the rape. I had dropped out of school, my parents knew I was pregnant but that was all they knew so they were pissed. I was beyond alone.