strawbeds

Noun

strawbed (plural strawbeds)

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.1946, Knut Liestøl, Scottish and Norwegian Ballads - Issues 1-4, page 157
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.1960, Bahamas Handbook and Businessman's Annual