postpartum

P3O1S1T1P3A1R1T1U1M3
/ˌpəʊstˈpɑː(ɹ)təm/

adjective

After giving birth (often defined as within 30 days after childbirth).

Less commonScrabble 16

Meanings

adjectivepostpartum (not comparable)

alternative post-partum

  1. not comparablea symptom; a diagnosis or treatment; etc; a symptom; a diagnosis or treatment; etcAfter giving birth (often defined as within 30 days after childbirth).

    A non-hormonal birth control capsule that women can insert just before sex. A rape kit that gives victims more agency and streamlines the evidence collection process. An overhauled design for a 150-year-old tool used in postpartum vaginal tearing.

    2021 June 8, Jacqui Palumbo, “These innovative designs are tackling taboo health issues for women”, in CNN

    Synonyms: postdelivery, childing, postnatal, postpartal, post-partural · Antonyms: antepartum, prepartum, postnatal

adverbpostpartum (not comparable)

alternative post-partum

  1. not comparableAfter giving birth.
    1 more example

    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.

    2012 January 10, Amy Fleming, “The mother of all maternity shoes”, in The Guardian
nounpostpartum (uncountable)

alternative post-partum

  1. uncountableThe period immediately following childbirth.

    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.

    2019, Maranda Bower, Supported in Postpartum: Stories of Rejuvenating Wisdom, page 54
  2. abbreviationellipsisinformaluncountableEllipsis of postpartum depression.

    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.”

    2014, Christine Rimmer, The Earl's Pregnant Bride, Toronto, ON: Harlequin Enterprises, →ISBN, page 216
    1 more example

    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.

    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

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveAfter giving birth (often defined as within 30 days after childbirth).

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveoccurring immediately after birth

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-“to bring forth”
  2. Latinpost“after”
  3. Englishpostpartum

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian следродилен
  • следродилен (sledrodilen)after giving birth
Chinese Mandarin 產後 /产后
  • 產後 /产后 (chǎnhòu)after giving birth
Czech poporodní, postnatální
  • poporodníafter giving birth
  • postnatálníafter giving birth
Finnish synnytyksen jälkeinen
  • synnytyksen jälkeinenafter giving birth
Polish poporodowy
  • poporodowyafter giving birth
Russian послеродово́й
  • послеродово́й (poslerodovój)after giving birth
Cite this entry
APA

postpartum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/postpartum

MLA

“postpartum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/postpartum. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “postpartum,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/postpartum.

Source: postpartum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.