Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of a pregnancy by one or more babies leaving a woman 's uterus by vaginal passage or C - section. In 2015 there were about 135 million births globally. About 15 million were born before 37 weeks of gestation, while between 3 and 12 % were born after 42 weeks. In the developed world most deliveries occur in hospital, while in the developing world most births take place at home with the support of a traditional birth attendant.
the process of labor and childbirth is known as
labour and delivery