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
Riley J. Steiner, STAT, 20 Apr. 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
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
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
Both narratives — that teen birth rates are too high or too low — problematize teen pregnancy and childbearing.
—Riley J. Steiner, STAT, 20 Apr. 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
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
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
-
The John Souch painting, Sir Thomas Aston at the Deathbed of His Wife and held by the Manchester Art Gallery , depicts the tragic story of Aston’s wife, Magdalen, who died in childbirth, as well as their surviving three-year-old, Thomas.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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The series is true to its body-horror ambitions, including plenty of unfiltered childbirth scenes that could have the faint of heart hitting the fast-forward button.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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George Frey | Bloomberg | Getty Images Cost was a deciding factor for Amy Sawyer-Williams, who works at a theater company in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has gestational diabetes.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adjective
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But those looking for something more unique should beeline to the massage and body treatment menu, where specific needs are met through a range of treatments (ie a jet lag remedy, lymphatic drainage massage, prenatal massages, and more).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Apr. 2026
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The cast and crew are shooting the season-two finale’s big trauma scene, an emergency C-section performed on a woman with no history of prenatal care who has spiraled into eclampsia.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Sandra Birchmore was 23 and pregnant in 2021 when she was allegedly murdered by her married cop boyfriend, Matthew Farwell.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Seth’s girlfriend is pregnant, and the couple’s baby girl is due May 6, James said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Childbearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childbearing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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