This article is primarily about birth in non-human mammals and other animals. For birth in humans specifically, see Childbirth. For other uses, see Birth (disambiguation).
"Parturition" redirects here. For the Star Trek episode, see Parturition (Star Trek: Voyager).
Lambing: the mother licks the first lamb while giving birth to the second
Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring,[1] also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the fetus at a developmental stage when it is ready to feed and breathe.
In some species, the offspring is precocial and can move around almost immediately after birth but in others, it is altricial and completely dependent on parenting.
In marsupials, the fetus is born at a very immature stage after a short gestation and develops further in its mother's womb pouch.
It is not only mammals that give birth. Some reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates carry their developing young inside them. Some of these are ovoviviparous, with the eggs being hatched inside the mother's body, and others are viviparous, with the embryo developing inside their body, as in the case of mammals.
^"birth". OED Online. June 2013. Oxford University Press. Entry 19395 Archived 2022-11-22 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 30 August 2013).
Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is...
A birth name is the name given to a person upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required...
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unintended pregnancy. Birth...
Birth rate, also known as natality, is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population for a given period divided by the length of the period...
A multiple birth is the culmination of one multiple pregnancy, where in the mother gives birth to two or more babies. A term most applicable to vertebrate...
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying...
A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result...
Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately...
virgin birth can refer to: Parthenogenesis, birth without fertilization Miraculous births, virgin birth in mythology and religion Virgin birth of Jesus...
A breech birth is when a baby is born bottom first instead of head first, as is normal. Around 3–5% of pregnant women at term (37–40 weeks pregnant) have...
The Birth of a Nation, originally called The Clansman, is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish...
The date of the birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources and the evidence is too incomplete to allow for consistent dating...
of birth (POB) or birthplace is the place where a person was born. This place is often used in legal documents, together with name and date of birth, to...
Coffin birth, also known as postmortem fetal extrusion, is the expulsion of a nonviable fetus through the vaginal opening of the decomposing body of a...
Silent birth, sometimes known as quiet birth, is a birthing procedure advised by L. Ron Hubbard and advocated by Scientologists in which "everyone attending...
The Birth of Venus (Italian: Nascita di Venere [ˈnaʃʃita di ˈvɛːnere]) is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, probably executed in the...
A monstrous birth, variously defined in history, is a birth in which a defect renders the animal or human child malformed to such a degree as to be considered...
Birth weight is the body weight of a baby at their birth. The average birth weight in babies of European and African descent is 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lb)...
Birth trauma may refer to: Childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder, psychological trauma to the mother following childbirth Birth trauma (physical)...
Birth order refers to the order a child is born in their family; first-born and second-born are examples. Birth order is often believed to have a profound...
An asynclitic birth or asynclitism are terms used in obstetrics to refer to childbirth in which there is malposition of the head of the fetus in the uterus...
Live birth may refer to: Viviparity, a reproductive mode wherein an embryo develops inside the body of its mother In human reproduction, the birth of a...
In probability theory, a birth process or a pure birth process is a special case of a continuous-time Markov process and a generalisation of a Poisson...
Birth dearth was coined by Ben J. Wattenberg in his 1987 book Birth Dearth. This term refers to the declining fertility rates observed in many modern...
Butchered at Birth is the second studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on July 1, 1991 through Metal Blade Records...
A home birth is a birth that takes place in a residence rather than in a hospital or a birthing center. They may be attended by a midwife, or lay attendant...
Lotus birth (or umbilical cord nonseverance - UCNS) is the practice of leaving the umbilical cord uncut after childbirth so that the baby is left attached...
The Birth may refer to: The Birth (The Cosby Show), an episode of The Cosby Show The Birth (album), an album by Stardeath and White Dwarfs The Birth (EP)...
Global Information