Lying-in

This article is about childbirth. For other uses, see Lying in (disambiguation).

A mother in Florence lying-in, from a painted desco da parto or birth tray of c. 1410. As women tend to the child, expensively-dressed female guests are already arriving.

Lying-in is the term given to the European[citation needed] forms of postpartum confinement, the traditional practice involving long bed rest before[1] and after giving birth. The term and the practice it describes are old-fashioned or archaic, but lying-in used to be considered an essential component of the postpartum period, even if there were no medical complications during childbirth.[2]

  1. ^ "Lying-In | Definition of Lying-In by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Lying-In". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2020. Seclusion before and after childbirth; confinement.
  2. ^ Slemons, J. Morris (1912). "The Prospective Mother: A Handbook for Women During Pregnancy". CHAPTER XI[:] THE LYING-IN PERIOD [...] The Time for Getting Up.—How long a woman should stay in bed after the birth of a child is a question which has given rise to prolonged discussion. The majority of obstetricians adhere to the traditional ten days; but there are advocates of a longer period and advocates of a shorter one. The generalizations of many writers upon this subject are too sweeping, for exceptions may be found to any rule. Each patient is best counselled when the advice given is based upon her own condition and particularly upon the progress made in the involution of the uterus, which does not advance with the same rapidity in all cases.