as in childbirth
the act or process of giving birth to children
in olden days many women died in childbearing
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Recent Examples of childbearing
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
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
The movement’s supporters also say policies to encourage childbearing are an economic necessity.
—Stephanie Armour, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 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
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
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
The movement’s supporters also say policies to encourage childbearing are an economic necessity.
—Stephanie Armour, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 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
-
Ali said her traumatic delivery experience led her to raise awareness of the discrimination black women face during pregnancy, childbirth, and other medical treatments.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
-
Many women assume bladder changes are simply part of life—something that comes with aging, childbirth or menopause.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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The gestational age and status of the pregnancy is unknown.—
Gretchen E. Ely,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
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The Food and Drug Administration has approved the two-drug regimen to end pregnancies up to 10 weeks gestational age; the World Health Organization endorses it up to 12 weeks.—
Mara Gordon,
NPR,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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California should build a pro-family agenda that includes prenatal care, maternal health and adoption support, not a system that responds to a vulnerable situation by facilitating death.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
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However, this enrollment can sometimes take months, and some prenatal care clinics will not see patients until coverage is approved.—
Casey Pinto,
The Conversation,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
The pregnant body, unhidden Bolton argues that the pregnant body has either been ignored or stereotyped in art.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
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Certain groups — including pregnant women, parents of young children and people with disabilities — are exempt from the work requirements.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Childbearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childbearing. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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