The maternity wards in Danish hospitals are in for a busy time this summer, according to a new report compiled by Politiken Research.
In the months of June, July and August, over 1,200 more children will be born in Denmark than was the case during the same months last year. Some 16,200 summer babies in total are scheduled to be born.
“I’ve never experienced a boom like this in my time as a midwife,” Ann Fogsgaard – a midwife with 33 years of experience, who works at the maternity ward at Herning/Holstebro – told Politiken newspaper.
“Normally, there are more births during the summer compared to the winter, but an increase like this is crazy.”
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A record year?
The birth figures are based on pregnancy prognoses gathered from the nation’s 21 maternity wards.
The maternity ward in Herning/Holstebro is expecting a 14 percent increase in babies during the summer months compared to last year. Just looking at August, the increase will be 25 percent.
There has already been a spike in births this year. According to figures from the national statistics keeper Danmarks Statistik, there were almost 1,000 more babies born during the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period last year.
If the trend continues, the annual number of births in Denmark will exceed 60,000 for the first time in years. The rise follows a lull in births. In 2013, just 55,873 babies were born – the lowest number since 1987.
