labor, labour (la'bor)

Childbirth; the bringing forth of a child, artificial 1. L. induced, hastened or completed artificially, atonic 1. L. rendered tedious or incapable of spontaneous accomplishment by atony of the uterus, complex 1., complicated 1. L. accompanied by some extraordinary feature, such as a plurality of fetuses, prolapse of the umbilical cord, convulsions, exce ive hemorrhage, abnormalities or injuries of the maternal parts, etc. dry 1. L. in which the liquor amnii escapes prematurely or is very small in amount, false 1. An a emblage of phenomena calculated to lead to the mistaken belief that 1. is in progre , instrumental 1. L. aided by means of some instrument, most commonly the forceps, mi ed 1. A term used by Oldham to describe cases in which, at the natural term of pregnancy (whether intra-uterine or extra-uterine), uterine contractions set in, but, proving inadequate to expel the ovum, finally subside, leaving the ovum retained, generally to undergo mummification or some other form of degeneration. multiparous 1. L. with more than one child.