Definition of childbearingnext
as in childbirth
the act or process of giving birth to children in olden days many women died in childbearing

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childbearing

2 of 2

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of childbearing
Noun
Not least because the hips—or rather, a wide pelvis—are considered a symbol of femininity, fertility, and childbearing capacity, both from a cultural-historical and an evolutionary-biology perspective. Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026 In fact, for millennia the role of mothers has included not only childbearing and education but also protection over the community as a whole, especially through advocacy for peace. Marie-Claire Beaulieu, The Conversation, 5 May 2026 Poor women’s childbearing, particularly among Black and immigrant populations, was increasingly portrayed as a driver of intergenerational poverty and social disorder. Sonya Borrero, STAT, 1 May 2026 Though some countries have tried to slow or reverse the trend through pro-natal policies—including cash incentives and tax breaks for childbearing, affordable childcare, and longer parental leaves—their long-term success has not been definitively proved so far. Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026 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
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
  • Casou worked at a health clinic as a labor and delivery nurse, helping expectant mothers through childbirth.
    Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • Common triggers of this type of hair loss include childbirth, surgery, severe illness, high fever and significant emotional stress.
    Daryl Austin, USA Today, 31 July 2026
Adjective
  • Despite the long gestational period, the look felt fresh and full of élan.
    Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • The following week she was diagnosed with gestational hypertension.
    Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Adjective
  • Her blood pressure registered 167 over 98, a sharp contrast to her ideal reading of 115 over 70 documented in her medical chart at her first prenatal visit.
    Carina Heckert, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
  • The chances of these complications drop with good prenatal care and thorough screening and monitoring to head off issues early.
    Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 29 July 2026
Adjective
  • The intramuscular formulation of penicillin was the only treatment that could prevent pregnant patients from passing syphilis to their newborns.
    Eric Boodman, STAT, 31 July 2026
  • Active adults, pregnant people, older adults, and those recovering from illness, injury, or surgery may have higher needs.
    ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Childbearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childbearing. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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