twilight sleep

noun

, Medicine/Medical.

1. a state of semiconsciousness, usually produced by hypodermic injections of scopolamine and morphine, used chiefly to effect relatively painless childbirth.

twilight sleep

noun

1. med a state of partial anaesthesia in which the patient retains a slight degree of consciousness

Word History and Origins

Origin of twilight sleep¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

When she rejected anesthesia because she wanted to be awake for the birth, she was placed in restraints and put into “twilight sleep.”

From New York Times

They’re going to put me in a type of twilight sleep, something I experienced about four years ago when I had to have an endoscopy for my acid reflux.

From The Guardian

But when it came time for childbirth they also were experiencing a state akin to the Twilight Zone - that is, twilight sleep.

From Washington Times

They call it twilight sleep and a woman don’t feel a thing when the kid comes.

From Literature

For a few decades in the early 20th century, mothers were given a drug cocktail, including opioids, to induce “twilight sleep,” and the child was frequently delivered using forceps.

From Washington Post