Baby boom likely in Year of Dragon

The Deputy Director of the Health Bureau, Dr Chan Wai Sin, visits the first baby born at the Hospital Conde S. Januário

Local health authorities are expecting a significant baby boom during the Lunar Year of the Dragon, as many Macau couples are gunning for a child blessed by the auspicious mythical creature.
The deputy director of the Health Bureau (SSM) expects a 14 to 20 percent birth rate growth. “The Year of the Dragon is always a year for birth boom,” Chan Wai Sin said on Tuesday, quoted by TDM News.
The Year of the Dragon comes every 12 years in the Chinese almanac and traditionally triggers a baby boom in Asia. The lunar year is regarded as the most auspicious in the almanac because it is the only mythical creature among the dozen animals that represent each year in the Chinese cosmic cycle.
Superstitious Chinese believe children born during the Year of the Dragon – the symbol of ancient emperors – will possess courage and wisdom and bring luck to the entire family.
The head of public hospital Conde S. Januário is confident the territory is prepared to handle the extra burden. “We are doing ok now. There are ups and downs. We will allocate hospital beds to deal with any possible situation,” Chan explained.
Conde S. Januário currently has 15 obstetricians and they will keep in touch with private hospital Kiang Wu in order to cope with the rising birth rate, Chan said.
Past dragon years saw a spike in birth rates in China and other places with predominantly ethnic Chinese populations such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, and this year is likely to be no different.
In China, state news agency Xinhua said last month that the country was expecting a five percent rise in births, boosting a population that now stands at 1.3 billion despite an official policy of allowing only one child per couple.

Non-resident births

Authorities are ready for an expected 14 to 20 percent birth rate growth during the Lunar Year of the Dragon

Chan Wai Sin said

In Hong Kong, where mainland Chinese mothers try to deliver their babies to gain rights of abode and education in the SAR and circumvent Beijing’s one-child policy, steps are being taken to contain the phenomenon.
Hong Kong health authorities have capped the number of deliveries by mainland and non-local mothers to 3,400 in public hospitals this year. Places are capped at 31,000 at private hospitals.
But the SSM official downplayed this issue, saying that it was not relevant in Macau. Chan revealed that in 2011 there were 738 non-resident women who delivered a baby in the MSAR, of which more than 500 were from mainland China.
Even though this figure represents a 20 percent rise from the previous year, he said the growth rate is acceptable. According to official statistics there are more women who are at a fertile age for marriage, Chan stressed.
Doctors estimate that couples gunning for a lucky baby will have to conceive by May 2 in order to stand a chance of giving birth by the tail end of the dragon year, which lasts until February 9, 2013.
But some children decided not to wait that long. Macau’s first dragon baby was born right after midnight, on January 23, at Conde S. Januário, even though he was supposed to be due on February 9.
The child was born into the Wu family and weighted 3.1 kg. “We have to check the astrological signs to decide his name. I wish he will have the spirit of a dragon,” said the mother, quoted by TDM News.
The second dragon baby was born at 9.10 am at Kiang Wu. SSM representatives visited both newborns and gave the parents baby products and a ‘certificate of first dragon baby’.