Today my dad took me to run a few errands that I needed to get done before the babies arrived. While in Sam's picking up milk and a few other items, an oriental lady approached me and said "Oh are you expecting twins?" I said "Yes" and thought it was interesting that she knew. I guess it is pretty obvious due to how large my belly is. She then continued "Oh you are so, so lucky. You are having twins and it is the Year of the Dragon. How wonderful- Your babies will be extra special and will be very, very important." She was so excited and couldn't quit smiling.
I thought it was really interesting so I decided to do a little research. Turns out that the Year of the Dragon occurs every 12 years and many oriental women are trying to conceive during this year. I thought it was really neat. The article below discusses the baby boom for 2012.
China's 'Year of the Dragon' baby boom: A guide
The Chinese new year just began this week, but the rush to have babies under the culture's luckiest zodiac sign has been underway for months
POSTED ON JANUARY 24, 2012, AT 5:37 PM
Chinese nurses take care of newborns Monday: Chinese parents are eager to have children during the Year of the Dragon, the most auspicious zodiac sign in Chinese culture. Photo: Gong Bo/Xinhua Press/Corbis SEE ALL 54 PHOTOS
China is in the midst of a baby-making boom, as couples try to ensure that their children are born during the Year of the Dragon, which began Monday. The dragon is considered the most auspicious zodiac sign in Chinese culture. Once reserved for the emperor, it is believed to bring strength and good luck. Here, a brief guide to the coming wave of "dragon babies":
Why is the Year of the Dragon so lucky?
Eleven of the 12 zodiac symbols in Chinese culture are animals — the dragon is the only one that is a mythical creature. That's one of the reasons it's so lucky, and that's why the state news agency Xinhua says China is expecting a 5 percent jump in the number of babies born in 2012. Boys, especially, are said to be destined for success and wealth if they're born under the sign.
So Chinese parents are scheduling their pregnancies accordingly?
They sure are. The math is easy enough to figure out: Parents have to get pregnant by May 2 of this year to squeeze in their due date before Feb. 9, 2013, when the Year of the Dragon ends and the less auspicious Year of the Snake begins. Once the lunar calendar turns over, the baby boom is expected to come to a screeching halt. "The dragon baby boom seems unlikely to have a significant impact on the total fertility rates in the long run,'' Dr. Zhang Yanxia tells the BBC.
How else will this affect China?
Infertility clinics are bracing for a spike in women seeking in vitro fertilization treatment during the coming year, says Dr. Chen Shee-Uan, director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the National Taiwan University Hospital. And parents are sparing no expense to prepare for their dragon babies. As a result, nannies in Beijing have been able to double their rates, and "beds in the Chinese capital's Maternity Hospital are booked until August," says Ian MacKinnon in Britain's Telegraph. And the effects won't end there. The baby boomlet means all those dragon babies destined for such greatness will soon be locked in fierce competition for spots in China's best schools, as the dragon babies of the year 2000 are now.
Sources: BBC, Huffington Post, Telegraph, TIME
Why is the Year of the Dragon so lucky?
Eleven of the 12 zodiac symbols in Chinese culture are animals — the dragon is the only one that is a mythical creature. That's one of the reasons it's so lucky, and that's why the state news agency Xinhua says China is expecting a 5 percent jump in the number of babies born in 2012. Boys, especially, are said to be destined for success and wealth if they're born under the sign.
So Chinese parents are scheduling their pregnancies accordingly?
They sure are. The math is easy enough to figure out: Parents have to get pregnant by May 2 of this year to squeeze in their due date before Feb. 9, 2013, when the Year of the Dragon ends and the less auspicious Year of the Snake begins. Once the lunar calendar turns over, the baby boom is expected to come to a screeching halt. "The dragon baby boom seems unlikely to have a significant impact on the total fertility rates in the long run,'' Dr. Zhang Yanxia tells the BBC.
How else will this affect China?
Infertility clinics are bracing for a spike in women seeking in vitro fertilization treatment during the coming year, says Dr. Chen Shee-Uan, director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the National Taiwan University Hospital. And parents are sparing no expense to prepare for their dragon babies. As a result, nannies in Beijing have been able to double their rates, and "beds in the Chinese capital's Maternity Hospital are booked until August," says Ian MacKinnon in Britain's Telegraph. And the effects won't end there. The baby boomlet means all those dragon babies destined for such greatness will soon be locked in fierce competition for spots in China's best schools, as the dragon babies of the year 2000 are now.
Sources: BBC, Huffington Post, Telegraph, TIME
http://theweek.com/article/index/223630/chinas-year-of-the-dragon-baby-boom-a-guide
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