February 21st, 2010 | 
Author: 
Posted in 
Tags: 
According to birth statistics collated for the first time by Fairfax, the myth that summer loving leads to more babies in spring is only partly true.
We also conceive more in October and November and, as nights get longer and doonas get warmer, in June and July.
Historical birth data collated by the Offices of Births, Deaths and Marriages in NSW and Victoria shows there are about 10 per cent more births in July, August, September and October and increasingly higher numbers around February and March.
The figures point to a more traditional mating season that begins in spring. Birth rates also challenge astrologers, who presume there are equal numbers of people born under each star sign.
Maternity wards are often busier in spring. Pam Tytler, from the birthing suite at the Northern Hospital in Melbourne, said they often hired more staff in September and October. Last year the unit delivered 183 babies in October against 141 in December.
Overall data was collated from total births in 1958, 1983 and 2008 in NSW and Victoria.
The medical director of Family Planning NSW, Dr Christine Read, said the figures were intriguing and raised questions about whether birth times were planned or followed more instinctive or seasonal patterns.
Recent studies in NSW and Victoria concluded that more than 50 per cent of pregnancies, especially the first, were unplanned.
The director of the Centre for Women’s Studies & Gender Research at Monash University, Dr Jane-Maree Maher, said: “We have a fantasy that we are very careful or organised, but our research showed a lot of conceptions are still not planned.”
Dr Read said there were other reasons for people to give birth before December. “Hospital and medical services are less accessible in December and January and people might not want to give their children birthdays around Christmas,” she said.
The co-ordinator of Population and Urban Research at Monash University, Professor Bob Birrell, said access to heating and air-conditioning means “there is no longer any reason to give birth at certain times of the year”.
