noun.
The condition of a woman in the process of giving birth.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
noun.
Literally, the bed in which a woman gives birth to a child; hence, the act of bringing forth a child or the state of being in labor; parturition: as, “women in child-bed,” Arbuthnot, Aliments.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
noun.
The state of a woman bringing forth a child, or being in labor; parturition.