According to forecasts from the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Committee, more than 137,000 children will be born in this metropolis in 2007, twice as many as in 2006. Beijing expects 150,000 births, while in 2006 the Chinese capital recorded "only" 129,000 newborns.
Local authorities are viewing this phenomenon with alarm, as hospitals may simply not be able to cope with such an influx of newborns. One gynecological hospital in Shanghai reported that the number of pregnant women in recent months has literally increased several times. Doctors in clinics in Beijing, Harbin, Taiyuan, Fuzhou and Haikou are switching to shift work, according to Xinhua News Agency. In many hospitals, additional beds are being urgently placed. In some hospitals, places in maternity wards are reserved until April. Even in the most prestigious and expensive hospitals in Beijing, the influx of expectant mothers is extremely noticeable.
"Of course, I really want my child to be born in the Year of the Pig, and the pregnancy calendar is helping me with that," a woman surnamed Zhang shared with a RIA Novosti correspondent at the "Sehe" hospital. However, she emphasizes that it is, of course, only a folk tradition. "But my parents say that being a 'golden piglet' is the key to success for a child," Zhang adds.
The demand for nannies has also sharply increased. Now in many large Chinese cities, expectant parents have to arrange for a nanny six months before the child's birth. The salaries of the most "popular" nannies in Shanghai have tripled to 6,000 yuan ($774) per month.
Scientists predict social problems: "Problems will arise when these children grow up, go to school, or start looking for jobs," says Yu Hai, a sociology professor at Fudan University. It can be assumed that there will also be difficulties with placing the child in kindergarten.
The years of the Dragon and the Monkey are also considered favorable for childbirth. In 2000, the Year of the Dragon, 36 million children were born in China, twice the figures for 1999 or 2001. Sometimes parents even resort to artificial stimulation methods or even demand a cesarean section just so that the child is born at a favorable time.