Postnatal

Postnatal (Latin for after birth, from post, meaning after, and natalis, meaning of birth) is the period beginning immediately after the birth of a child and extending for about six weeks. Another term would be postpartum period, as it refers to the mother (whereas postnatal refers to the infant). Less frequently used is puerperium.

It is the time after birth, a time in which the mother's body, including hormone levels and uterus size, returns to a non-pregnant state. Lochia is post-partum vaginal discharge, containing blood, mucus, and placental tissue.

In scientific literature, the term is commonly abbreviated to PX. So that 'day P5' should be read as 'the fifth day after birth'. This is not to be confused with medical nomenclature that uses G P to stand for number of pregnancy and outcome of pregnancy.