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Mini Baby Boom Likely This Year
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/04/15 14:08  Shanghai Daily

  China is expecting a minor baby boom this year, in the "Year of the Monkey," as many people believe "monkey" babies will be more cute, bright and intelligent.

  Statistics from major hospitals in Nanjing, capital of eastern Jiangsu Province, show that the number of pregnant women surged in the first quarter of the year. The Nanjing Municipal Women and Children Health Care Center welcomed 664 newborns in February, up 16 percent over the same period last year. The figure in March was 670, up 34 percent year-on-year.

  The increase of newborns caused a strain on facilities. Many couples even made reservations several months beforehand, for fear that the hospital might decline to accept them. Doctors and nurses at the center said they have decided to restructure wards and increase the number of beds to cater to the increasing demand.

  Nanjing is not the only place in the country to expect more babies this year. Other major cities, like Shanghai and Beijing, also witnessed more pregnant women. In 2003, 20,000 babies were born during the February-April period in Shanghai. Experts predicted that the figure this year would possibly reach 22,000.

  The year 2003 was the "Year of the Goat" in the Chinese lunar calendar. According to traditional thinking in China, babies born that year would have ill fortune. Hence, many would-be mothers delayed their plans to have a baby.

  But experts disagree with the notion. They acknowledged that the birth peak may bring a series of ripple effects. There will be problems for children born this year in entering schools, colleges and then finding jobs. In fact, the "dragon babies" or the millennium babies born in 2000 have faced the problem already. In 2003, China's "millennium babies" who reached school age encountered big queues at kindergartens.

  (Xinhua)




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