puerperiumn.
/ˌpjuːəːˈpɪərɪəm/, U.S. /ˌpjuərˈpɪriəm/ Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.
The period of time immediately following the delivery of a child (or offspring); spec. the period between the end of labour and complete involution of the uterus (usually taken to be 6 weeks in humans).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > childbirth or delivery > time after
limita1616
gander-montha1632
month1631
steg-month1828
puerperium1845
gander-moon1886
1845 Lancet 20 Sept. 312/2 The uterus was left completely contracted with the security of a pad and bandage, and the mother passed through her puerperium favourably.
1894 Grandin & Jarman Obstetr. Surg. viii. 164 Many such lacerations heal spontaneously, probably the vast majority if the course of the puerperium is aseptic.
1936 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 32 364/2 All puerperia were normal and uneventful.
1940 N. J. Eastman Expectant Motherhood ix. 136 By and large, the puerperium should be a happy and pleasant experience.
1992 Canad. Jrnl. Vet. Res. 56 204 These results suggest that, although pRXN [= porcine relaxin] may be identifiable in the corpora lutea during the puerperium, it does not contribute to either hypogalactia or poor lactational performance in sows.
1994 D. Tulchinsky & A. B. Little Maternal–Fetal Endocrinol. (ed. 2) v. 84/1 Follow-up studies to document return to normal platelet metabolism during the puerperium are also needed.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1845