maternity

adj. of or pertaining to childbirth, designed for wear during pregnancy

n. motherhood, motherliness

Maternity is the social and legal acknowledgment of the parental relationship between a mother and her child.
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Maternity /ma·ter·ni·ty/ 1. motherhood. 2. a lying-in hospital. ma·ter·ni·ty n. 1. The state of being a mother; motherhood. 2. [more]Maternity - Community and Resources

Noun
1. the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus
(synonym) pregnancy, gestation
(hypernym) physiological state, physiological condition
(hyponym) trouble
(part-meronym) cleavage, segmentation
(class) fetal movement, foetal movement
2. the kinship relation between an offspring and the mother
(synonym) motherhood
(hypernym) kinship, family relationship, relationship
3. the quality of having or showing the tenderness and warmth and affection of or befitting a mother; "the girl's motherliness made her invaluable in caring for the children"
(synonym) motherliness, maternalism, maternal quality
(hypernym) parental quality
(attribute) maternal

(n.)
The state of being a mother; the character or relation of a mother.