birth

noun

ADJECTIVE

▪ live

▪

Better living conditions mean more live births and fewer stillbirths.

▪ normal

▪ difficult

▪ breech

▪ Caesarean, vaginal

▪ natural (= without the use of drugs)

▪ premature, preterm

▪ multiple

▪ illegitimate, out-of-wedlock (AmE)

▪ home, hospital

▪ water (= in water)

VERB + BIRTH

▪ give

▪

She gave birth to a baby boy.

▪ register

▪ celebrate

▪

They recently celebrated the birth of their second daughter.

▪ await

▪

He was anxiously awaiting the birth of his child.

▪ announce

▪ attend

▪

A doctor and three midwives attended the birth.

BIRTH + NOUN

▪ certificate

▪ records

▪ date

▪ place (usually birthplace)

▪ weight (usually birthweight)

▪ process

▪ complications

▪ defect

▪ canal

▪

the mother's birth canal

▪ mother

▪ attendant (= person who assists a woman giving birth)

▪ partner (= person a woman chooses to be with when giving birth)

▪ plan

▪

You should prepare a birth plan with your obstetrician.

▪ announcement

▪ rate

▪

a low/high birth rate

(see also birth control)

PREPOSITION

▪ at birth

▪

The baby weighed seven pounds at birth.

▪ at a/the birth, during a/the birth

▪

The child's father was present at the birth.

▪ by birth

▪

He was American by birth, but lived in France.

PHRASES

▪ births, deaths and marriages (AmE), births, marriages and deaths

▪

announcements of births, marriages and deaths

▪ your date of birth, your place of birth

▪ of low birth, of noble birth (both old-fashioned)

▪ the moment of birth