The word natal shows up a lot when doctors talk about birth and pregnancy, especially in "pre-natal," which describes what happens before a baby is born. You can also use natal for things that occur at the same time as a birth, like the position of the stars on that day or the town in which a child is born — her natal city. In the fourteenth century, natal meant "pertaining to birthdays," from the Latin word natus, "to be born."