Births remain steady despite poor economy

The current economic state of the United States might cause some couples to postpone childbirth but others still opt for more children.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the number of births in the United States decreased by about 2 percent from 2007 to 2008.

Kansas City births however seem to buck these trends.

Although data has not yet been released for 2009, doctors and nurses in the Kansas City area notice different patterns.

“We’re actually up 5.6 percent this quarter than last year,” said April Lay, RN, clinical manager for perinatal services at Shawnee Mission Medical Center.

Susan Nigro, director of The Birth Place at Olathe Medical Center, said she sees trends that she did not expect.

“I’ve been a little surprised that we’re right on target with where we’ve been,” Nigro said.

Nigro and others were unsure about the effect the economy would have on childbirth. Nigro said she did not know whether to expect fewer babies because of the added expense or more babies because people are more often bored at home. So far, the latter has proven true at Olathe Medical Center.

Some parents, however, may rethink having a child because of anxiety about the future.

“It’s the recession,” said Andrew Hacker, a sociologist at Queens College of the City University of New York, as reported by the New York Times. “Children are the most expensive item in every family’s budget, especially given all the gear kids expect today. So it’s a good place to cut back when you’re uncertain about the future.”

In 2007, there were 4.3 million births in the United States, compared to 4.2 million in 2008. Kansas experienced this decrease, with only 41,687 births in 2008, compared to 42,268 in 2007.

“There’s a general fear about what the future holds for future generations,” said Doug MacFarlane, MD, a gynecologist at Olathe Medical Center.

MacFarlane has noticed changes in his practice as a direct result of the economy.

“We do know people who have been trying to delay major expenses such as childbirth,” he said, adding “We’ve seen an increase in people attempting home delivery when they didn’t have insurance.”

MacFarlane said that the irony of the situation is that some women cannot afford birth control pills without insurance but then become pregnant, creating a greater expense.

But a shaky economy does not seem to be enough to discourage many women in the Kansas City area. Lay said that though the economy may seem daunting to expectant parents, the feeling is replaced with happiness at the birth of their child.

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