RT Book, Section A1 Cunningham, F. Gary A1 Leveno, Kenneth J. A1 Dashe, Jodi S. A1 Hoffman, Barbara L. A1 Spong, Catherine Y. A1 Casey, Brian M. SR Print(0) ID 1190762214 T1 The Puerperium T2 Williams Obstetrics, 26e YR 2022 FD 2022 PB McGraw Hill PP New York, NY SN 9781260462739 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1190762214 RD 2024/03/28 AB The word puerperium is derived from Latin—puer, child + parus, bringing forth. It defines the time following delivery during which pregnancy-induced maternal anatomical and physiological changes return to the nonpregnant state. Its duration is inexact but is considered to last between 4 and 6 weeks. Although much less complex compared with pregnancy, the puerperium has appreciable changes, and maternal morbidity is surprisingly common. For example, in a survey of 1246 British mothers, 3 percent required hospital readmission within 8 weeks (Thompson, 2002). Moreover, almost three fourths of women continue to have health problems for up to 18 months (Glazener, 1995). Of self-reported concerns, pain, breastfeeding, and psychosocial topics are prominent. Table 36-1 lists data on these from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Surveillance System—PRAMS—of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).