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How is the Virgin Birth different from the Immaculate Conception?

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Antonello da Messina: Madonna and Child — Mary *Madonna and Child*, oil and tempera on panel by Antonello da Messina, 1475; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

The Virgin Birth and the Immaculate Conception are distinct theological concepts that are frequently confused. They refer to different events involving different individuals:

The Virgin Birth is the traditional Christian doctrine stating that Jesus Christ was conceived by Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit without a human father. This belief is widely held across Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and many Protestant churches, as well as by Muslims.12
The Immaculate Conception is a specific Roman Catholic dogma. It does not refer to the birth of Jesus, but rather to the conception of Mary herself. It asserts that, by a singular divine grace, Mary was preserved free from all stain of original sin from the very first moment of her own conception.32

In summary, the Virgin Birth concerns the miraculous nature of Jesus' conception, while the Immaculate Conception concerns the state of Mary's soul at the moment of her own beginning.2