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Today is August 8, 2008 and the Beijing Olympics will officially kick off tonight.
The first "Olympic baby" in Guangzhou was born at 00:12 a.m.. (Guangzhou Daily)
In the coming hours there will be a major baby rush in Guangzhou. Over 60 Caesarean operations will be performed in nine major local hospitals, significantly more than average. The sharp increase can be attributed to mothers-to-be wanting to give birth at the historic moment of the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony.
Because it is believed to be a very auspicious moment to have their babies, some parents have even gone as far as requesting that their procedures be carried out at 8.08 p.m. (8 is a lucky number in Chinese culture), 8.08 a.m. or 0:00.
At the Guangzhou Women & Children's Medical Center (GWCMC) the reservations are twice the normal amount. In order to secure timely delivery, some loving mothers are advancing their pregnancies and others are delaying. One woman insisted on delaying despite the fact that her water had broken and she was clearly ready to give birth.
The first "Olympic baby" and his mother (Guangzhou Daily)
In addition to having their babies on the Olympic opening day, a number of parents have planned to give their child Olympic names. "If it is a girl, we will call her Jingjing, like one of the mascots of the Beijing Olympics," said one couple. They booked a Caesarean operation half a month ago.
However, according to a doctor at the GWCMC, these practices may actually be damaging to the health of both the mother and the baby, and may even impact the child鈥檚 intellectual and physical development in the long run.
Niu Jiangmin, head of the obstetrics department of the Guangdong Women and Children's Hospital (GWCH), also stressed that hospitals will not perform these operations simply according to the will of the parents. Instead, they will consider all relevant medical factors first, such as the health of the mother and the child, as well as the capacity of the hospital.
Thankfully, most soon-to-be parents are cautiously avoiding the Olympic birth rush. Many think it is superstitious behavior that wrongly jeopardizes the health of their newborns.
"It doesn't matter when my baby will come; its health is my top concern," agreed many parents.
Editor: Yan
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