No rush of New Year’s babies

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- The big push by parents to claim stake to the first baby

of the new millennium has gone virtually unnoticed at Hoag Hospital.

Doctors were concerned earlier this year that a flood of families would

try to get pregnant around April in the hope of bearing a child at the

end of this year.

Much like the reports of people staying at home for New Year’s Eve

instead of paying exorbitant costs to party, hospital officials aren’t

reporting a rise in expected deliveries over the holiday weekend.

At a hospital that averages more than 4,000 deliveries a year, some Hoag

doctors believe they will see a reduction, rather than an increase, in

New Year’s births.

“We’re not expecting a high volume of deliveries,” said Dr. Jonathan

Wheeler, chairman of Hoag’s obstetrics and gynecology department. “Most

of our patients are staying away from all of the hype. I think it was

blown a little out of proportion.”

Although Hoag doctors are expecting only about 10 to 15 deliveries this

weekend, it didn’t stop them from planning ahead. They checked with other

hospitals to see whether an influx of pregnancies has happened this year.

In September, Hoag staffers contacted families’ personal physicians to

determine if they would see a rise in deliveries.

Wheeler said there are many factors working against families planning for

a timely birth. First and foremost, most women don’t get pregnant the

first try. It typically takes an average of three to six tries before a

couple is successful.

Also, Newport tends to have a population base that is older than its

Orange County neighbors. Older women tend to have lower pregnancy rates

than younger ones, Wheeler added.

“I think the number of deliveries will go up around springtime because

the inception occurred two to three months later than they had planned,”

he said.

Parents expecting during the holiday season have taken doctors updates in

stride, Wheeler added. None of Hoag’s patients have been overeager to

take such measures as inducing labor to meet the year-end deadline.

“Here in Newport, they are a different crowd,” Wheeler said. “They tend

to shy away from any publicity.”