Birth

process of an organism releasing its offspring

Birth (to be born) means when a baby animal comes out of its egg, or out of its mother after pregnancy. It is sometimes thought of as the beginning of life. It is also known as calving in livestock or whelping in meat-eating mammals.[1]

Moche ceramic vessel showing a woman giving birth. Larco Museum Lima
A woman giving birth on a birth chair, circa 1515
Newborn after typical hospital birth

Related medical words change

Changes in pelvis during human pregnancy change

In adult females the pelvis is shaped differently from males. The differences are connected with allowing the baby to pass through the birth canal successfully. Also, during pregnancy, a hormone called relaxin softens the ligaments in the pelvis area. This produces a little bit of extra space for the baby's head to get through. The process is hard to describe in words, but fortunately there is an excellent video which explains what goes on.

  • Baby Centre expert advice: how pregnancy changes your pelvis. [1]

Legal meanings change

  • Birth certificate is a legal document describing details of a person's birth.
  • Birthday is a day to celebrate that the person has lived a certain number of years.
  • In some countries a person is considered of illegitimate birth if the child is born of parents not legally married to one another.

Spiritual meanings change

Related pages change

References change

  1. Birth, dictionary.com, Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  2. Hurwitz, J. and J. Leis (1972). "Directing influence of DNA in the reaction". RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity of RNA tumor viruses. pp. 116–129.