birthing

American  

[bur-thing] / ˈbɜr θɪŋ /

noun

1. an act or instance of giving birth, especially by natural childbirth.

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Etymology

Origin of birthing

First recorded in 1925–30; birth + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The gas was released on maternity units when cannisters were connected, birthing mothers exhaled, and when the equipment was faulty, according to papers filed at the High Court.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Doctors at St. Louis-based Mercy, which runs birthing hospitals in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, began noticing an uptick in families turning down the vitamin K shot during the pandemic.

From Salon • May 7, 2026

I see her death as a profound failure of the systems meant to protect birthing mothers.

From Slate • Jan. 11, 2026

Conscience became the Christian’s guide to religious truth, replacing church and tradition, and birthing a radical individual autonomy that could challenge governments and rulers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

The reds and yellows of common flame warred against the emeralds and jades of wildfire, each color flaring and then fading, birthing armies of short-lived shadows to die again an instant later.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin