Definition

1. Noun:
   • The concluding state of pregnancy; the period from the onset of labor contractions to the birth of a child: "childbed" refers to the condition or process of giving birth.
   • The state of being in labor for childbirth: It can also denote the period of labor itself.

Usage

• "Childbed" is a somewhat formal or dated term. In modern medical contexts, terms like "labor," "childbirth," or "delivery" are more commonly used.
• It is typically used in the phrase "in childbed" to describe a woman who is in the process of giving birth.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• "to die in childbed": an archaic phrase meaning to die during or as a result of childbirth.
  • Historical records show that many women died in childbed before modern medicine.

Variants and Related Words

• Childbirth (n): the act or process of giving birth to a child. (More common modern synonym)
• Labor (n): the process of childbirth, especially the period of contractions before delivery. (Common medical term)
• Confinement (n): an old-fashioned term for the late stage of pregnancy and childbirth.
• Parturition (n): the action of giving birth; the technical term for childbirth.

Synonyms

• Labor
• Childbirth
• Delivery
• Parturition (technical)
• Confinement (dated)

Antonyms

• Non-pregnancy
• Barrenness (inability to bear children)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Childbed fever": an old term for puerperal fever, a serious infection following childbirth.
  • The doctor worked to prevent childbed fever by insisting on strict hygiene.

Noun

1. concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
   • she was in labor for six hours