strawbed

noun

1. A mattress made of dry straw in a cloth sack, often used beneath a featherbed or other softer mattress.

   “The lying-in woman was not allowed to lie in bed, but a strawbed was prepared for her on the floor.”

   “To cut down labor pains , put something made of iron or steel between the strawbed and the featherbed.”

   “It is very difficult for me to make my strawbed in accordance with military regulations.”

   “Molitor escaped and "hid in the strawbed of his French mistress" before inexplicably leaving Germany and "arriving safely" in New York.”

2. (Bahamas)Childbirth.

   “An old woman called "Ala Ju" (Mother Julia) walked three miles to get me a sample of the Granny Bush (Croton linearis), whose leaves are steeped and given to women for nine days after childbirth, or "strawbed" as it is termed here.”

   “It grows profusely in the Bahamas. It is used for "building up men's energy and body" and as a sponge bath for women, "after they come out of strawbed".”

   “"Strawbed fever" results from an infection caught in "strawbed" (childbirth).”