childbirth

American  

[chahyld-burth] / ˈtʃaɪldˌbɜrθ /

noun

• childbirths
  plural

1. an act or instance of bringing forth a child; parturition.

   a difficult childbirth.

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childbirth British  

/ ˈtʃaɪldˌbɜːθ /

noun

1. the act of giving birth to a child

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• childbirths
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of childbirth

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at child, birth

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

childbirth childbirths

By building those skills over the first year after childbirth, the team hoped patients would eventually feel confident arranging appointments, seeking primary care, and navigating the healthcare system without additional assistance.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

The family of a first-time mum who died in childbirth say her newborn son is the "light" that's keeping them going through their grief.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Aina said that American Black women die in childbirth at three times the rate for white women, and 87% of these deaths were preventable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Rhoda is less interested in Max’s disloyalty to Leonie than in the tales of Ana’s philandering, profligate father, a Maltese artist who raised her after her Italian mother died during childbirth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Both their mothers had died in childbirth, though from the stories the other women still told, Somkit's birth had been more memorable and involved feet showing up where a head was supposed to be.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

It may be no accident that the recent plunge in childbirths began in 2008, during the Great Recession, or that it continued through the slow recovery, the pandemic and political disruptions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025

Couples can now have up to three children, and CNN reported that childbirths from unmarried parents will soon be registered with health care officials.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 8, 2023

The only example I could think of was Sarah Hall’s gorgeous “The Wolf Border,” in which the main character, who works to reintroduce wolves to nature, has the least natural of all childbirths.

From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2018

Indeed, not every baby has a mother: before modern medicine, about one in 100 childbirths killed the mother.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2017

Ten years after discharge the husband, in answer to an inquiry, stated that she had been perfectly well and had had no trouble at three successive childbirths.

From Benign Stupors A Study of a New Manic-Depressive Reaction Type by John T. (John Thompson) MacCurdy

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