childbirth
/ˈtʃaɪldbɜːθ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtʃaɪldbɜːrθ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈchī(-ə)l(d)-ˌbərth/ (ame, mw)
childbirth — noun
1. the physical process in which a baby is pushed out of its mother's body, usually
the physical process in which a baby is pushed out of its mother's body, usually starting with contractions of the womb and ending when the newborn arrives
Priya's childbirth lasted eighteen hours, but both mother and baby stayed healthy throughout.
possessive: [person]'s childbirth
The local hospital offers free childbirth classes for first-time parents every Saturday.
noun modifier: childbirth + class
During childbirth, the nurses helped Noa breathe slowly and stay calm.
Fatima felt her first contraction at dawn and reached the hospital just before childbirth began.
Yusuf stayed by his wife's side throughout her entire childbirth experience at the clinic.
- giving birth
the everyday conversational phrase; used in informal speech more than 'childbirth'
- delivery
medical term that focuses on the moment the baby arrives, not the whole labour process
- labour
specifically the contractions and pushing stage before delivery, not the entire process
- parturition
technical medical term; very rare in everyday language, found mostly in textbooks
文法句型
during childbirth
in childbirth
childbirth + noun (childbirth class, childbirth experience)
用法筆記
Childbirth is almost always uncountable when describing the process in general ('childbirth can be painful'). It is used as a countable noun only when referring to a specific instance of giving birth ('she had a difficult childbirth'). The related but distinct term 'labour' refers specifically to the contractions and pushing stage, while 'childbirth' covers the entire process from the start of labour to the delivery of the baby and placenta.