as in childbirth
the act or process of giving birth to children
in olden days many women died in childbearing
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as in gestational
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Recent Examples of childbearing
Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Cleghorn notes that many Minoan women died between the ages of twenty and twenty-five, indicating that childbearing was most likely the cause of death.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Women past childbearing years often see OB-GYNs less frequently.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 13 Jan. 2026
That's because their children, who largely fall within the millennial generation, might be in the midst of their childbearing years.
—Holly Garcia, Parents, 11 Jan. 2026
As many as 1 in 5 women may have uterine fibroids during their childbearing years — and those abnormal growths may have a connection not just to reproductive health but also to heart health.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Other countries have offered more robust programs to encourage childbearing and ease parenting but haven’t seen their birth rates go up, noted Michael Geruso, an economist for the University of Texas-Austin who hopes to see the global population increase.
—Stephanie Armour, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
Far too many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and the ubiquity of (necessary) two-income households across the land also disincentivizes the all-important social good of childbearing.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent dips in birth rates are due to declines in teenage pregnancy, and shifts to older ages of childbearing.
—Stephanie Psaki, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Deanna Taylor, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Many of them were young women, either pregnant or of childbearing age, when the bombs fell and have lived much of their lives under a heavy shadow of fear and stigma.
—Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
Noun
Around the eleventh century, in Anglo‑Saxon England, instructions for an elaborate childbearing and mothering ritual were recorded by monks in the Lacnunga, a collection of medical texts and curative prayers.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Cleghorn notes that many Minoan women died between the ages of twenty and twenty-five, indicating that childbearing was most likely the cause of death.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Women past childbearing years often see OB-GYNs less frequently.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 13 Jan. 2026
That's because their children, who largely fall within the millennial generation, might be in the midst of their childbearing years.
—Holly Garcia, Parents, 11 Jan. 2026
As many as 1 in 5 women may have uterine fibroids during their childbearing years — and those abnormal growths may have a connection not just to reproductive health but also to heart health.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Other countries have offered more robust programs to encourage childbearing and ease parenting but haven’t seen their birth rates go up, noted Michael Geruso, an economist for the University of Texas-Austin who hopes to see the global population increase.
—Stephanie Armour, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
Far too many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and the ubiquity of (necessary) two-income households across the land also disincentivizes the all-important social good of childbearing.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent dips in birth rates are due to declines in teenage pregnancy, and shifts to older ages of childbearing.
—Stephanie Psaki, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
In the United Kingdom, there is a midwife assigned to every childbearing individual, regardless of the risk status of the pregnancy.
—Deanna Taylor, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Many of them were young women, either pregnant or of childbearing age, when the bombs fell and have lived much of their lives under a heavy shadow of fear and stigma.
—Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for childbearing
Noun
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Postpartum hair loss is a common and temporary condition affecting about 90% of women after childbirth.—
Nicole Hernandez,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
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How the robot childbirth simulator trains future midwives The simulator known as Mama Anne looks and behaves much like a real patient in labor.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For example, a number of pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and miscarriages, put women at higher lifetime risk of heart disease.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
20 Mar. 2026
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Palmar grasp reflex — automatic grasping action seen in newborns, but can appear as early as 16 weeks gestational age; young monkeys also display the reflex, where the need to quickly hold onto things seems more of a necessity.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In 2023, one in five births were to a mother who received inadequate prenatal care, according to the report, with Hispanic and Black mothers facing the highest inequities.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
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However, women can support healthy regrowth during the waiting period by eating a balanced diet and continuing prenatal vitamins, says Kapoor.—
Nicole Hernandez,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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His wife was pregnant with their second child.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Several days later, his pregnant wife, Ruth, throws their toddler into the car and drops off the ransom, and Carl is returned home, more or less whole but emotionally damaged beyond repair.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Childbearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childbearing. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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