Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of or occurring in the period shortly after childbirth.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective after giving birth

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective occurring immediately after birth

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin post partum : post, after; see post– + partum, accusative of partus, birth, from past participle of parere, to beget; see perə- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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

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Examples

  • And I-- I would have what they call postpartum panic attacks, where, literally -- I don't know how people couldn't see that, I was shaking so bad internally.

    CNN Transcript May 1, 2001 2001

  • A very small percentage of women will experience what is referred to as postpartum psychosis, a serious but rare illness affecting one to two of every one thousand new mothers.

    Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth THE BOSTON WOMEN’S HEALTH BOOK COLLECTIVE 2008

  • A very small percentage of women will experience what is referred to as postpartum psychosis, a serious but rare illness affecting one to two of every one thousand new mothers.

    Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth THE BOSTON WOMEN’S HEALTH BOOK COLLECTIVE 2008

  • These early months are called the postpartum period.

    The Simple Guide to Having a Baby Janet Whalley 2005

  • These early months are called the postpartum period.

    The Simple Guide to Having a Baby Janet Whalley 2005

  • These early months are called the postpartum period.

    The Simple Guide to Having a Baby Janet Whalley 2005

  • This is often referred to as postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety.

    OUR BODIES, OURSELVES The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective 2005

  • To get back to the idea of giving birth, I suppose a person might liken this to what they call postpartum depression. "

    Clean Kill Alexander, Al 2000

  • Many women also first experience thyroid problems after a pregnancy, a condition called postpartum thyroiditis that occurs in 5 to 10 percent of women.

    The Body's Traffic Cop 2008

  • Andrea Yates was apparently suffering from a specific, diagnosable -- and treatable -- condition called postpartum psychosis.

    Motherhood And Murder 2007

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