Nearly 46 percent of American women through age 44 are childless. That's up from 35 percent in 1976.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census Report, "Fertility of American Women," almost 46% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 do not have children, up from 35 percent in 1976.

Melanie Notkin, founder and author of "Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers, and All Women Who Love Kids," joins Kiran Chetry on American Morning today to explain the reasons for this trend and to talk about her recent Huffington Post article "The Truth About Childless Women."

Notkin discusses the ways that many women are dealing with being childless in a positive way, explaining that there are ways for women to be maternal without having kids.