Word
postpartum
Phoneticspost·par·tum
UK/pˈəʊstpɑːtəm/
Definition
adj. relating to the time right after a woman gives birth. It describes the physical and emotional changes that happen during this period.
adj. relating to the period immediately following childbirth. Often used in medical contexts to describe physical recovery or psychological states.
Examples
“She is recovering well during her postpartum checkup.”
“Many new mothers experience postpartum fatigue as their bodies adjust to the demands of caring for a newborn.”
“The clinic provides specialized postpartum care to ensure that both the mother and the infant receive the necessary medical attention during the first six weeks of life.”
Examples
simple
“She is recovering well during her postpartum checkup.”
contextual
“Many new mothers experience postpartum fatigue as their bodies adjust to the demands of caring for a newborn.”
complex
“The clinic provides specialized postpartum care to ensure that both the mother and the infant receive the necessary medical attention during the first six weeks of life.”
Real-World Examples
Common in health and history writing
“After the birth, she was hit hard by postpartum depression.” “Photograph: NBC/NBCUniversal/Getty Images “I didn’t know where the alcoholism was ending and the postpartum was beginning,” Panettiere said in a 2022 interview.” “This also applies to postpartum and older women, with topics such as matrescence, perimenopause and menopause being discussed far more widely.” 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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/postpartum